Information processor and processing method, and information storage medium

• US 7,756,862 B1
• Filed: 11/10/2000
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Morita, Toshihiro, Kojima, Kiyonobu, Hatanaka, Mitsuyuki, Shiroma, Shin
• Primary Examiner(s): Mofiz, Apu M
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEN, TE Y
• Application Number:
  US09/889,023
• Time in Patent Office: 3,532 Days
• Field of Search: 708 26- 27, 709/203, 709/232, 709227-229, 707/100.1, 707/6, 707/102, 714/6, 713/189
• US Class Current: 707/721
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 15/02 Synthesis of acoustic waves synthesis of speech G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00746 wherein the usage restriction can be expressed as a specific number
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/61 wherein solid state memory is used for storing A/V content
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

In an information processor which records many contents or has many contents already recorded therein, and can generate an arbitrary combination of the contents, a weight is computed for each of the contents based on either data stored in a history data file (184) or data stored in a display data file (182) and data stored in a filtering data file (181), and a content is selected from the contents stored in a content file (161) based on the weight. The selected content is related with a package corresponding to the data stored in the filtering data file (181).

Claims

1. A music information processor having a group of songs stored therein, comprising:

a recording unit configured to record the group of songs including a plurality of songs, history data indicative of usage history of the songs, and at least two filtering data sets, each of the at least two filtering data sets defining a filtering criteria as a computation of a weight per each of the songs in accordance with a respective filtering criteria;

a filtering criteria setting unit configured to set the filtering data sets based on the history data input by a user;

a computing unit configured to compute a weight per each of the songs based on both the history data and one of the at least two filtering data sets set by the filtering criteria setting unit;

a selecting unit configured to select a song from the group of songs based on the weight computed by the computing unit and to create at least two filtering packages which are different combinations of the songs from the group of songs, each of the at least two filtering packages represents a list of song identification information identifying the song selected;

a displaying unit configured to display the group of songs and the at least two filtering packages representing the list including the combinations of the songs; and

a reproducing unit being configured to reproduce the song included in one of the filtering packages read from the recording unit if the user selects the song in the list of the filtering packages, wherein the reproduced song corresponds to a song being output from a speaker.

2. The music information processor according to claim 1, wherein the computing unit computes per each of the songs a weight about a period for which the song has been checked out.

3. The music information processor according to claim 1, further comprising:

an adding unit configured to add a new filtering data set.

4. The music information processor according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit is configured to store the filtering data in a filtering file, and is further configured to change the filtering data in the filtering file to the values input by the user.

5. A music information processor having a group of songs recorded therein, comprising:

a recording unit configured to record the group of songs including a plurality of songs, usage history data indicative of usage history of the songs, related data about the group of songs, and at least two filtering data sets, each of the at least two filtering data sets defining a filtering criteria as a computation of a weight per each the songs in accordance with a respective filtering criteria;

a filtering criteria setting unit configured to set the filtering data sets based on the usage history data input by a user;

a computing unit configured to compute per each of the songs a weight based on the usage history data, the related data, and one of the at least two filtering data sets set by the filtering criteria setting unit;

a selecting unit configured to select a song from the group of songs based on the weight computed by the computing unit and to create at least two filtering packages which are different combinations of the songs from the group of songs, each of the at least two filtering packages represents a list of song identification information identifying the song selected; and

a displaying unit configured to display the group of songs and the at least two filtering packages representing the list including the combinations of the songs; and

a reproducing unit being configured to reproduce the song included in the filtering packages read from the recording unit if the user selects the song in the list of the filtering packages, wherein the reproduced song corresponds to a song being output from a speaker.

6. The music information processor according to claim 5, wherein the computing unit computes per each of the songs a weight about a period for which the song has been checked out.

7. The music information processor according to claim 5, further comprising:

an adding unit configured to add a new filtering data set.

8. The music information processor according to claim 5, wherein the computing unit computes a weight related to a genre of the song.

9. The music information processor according to claim 5, wherein the computing unit computes a weight about a playing time of the song.

10. A music information processing method carried out by an information processor having recorded therein a group of songs including a plurality of songs, usage history data indicative of usage history of the songs, and at least two filtering data sets, each of the at least two filtering data sets defining a filtering criteria as a computation of a weight per each of the songs in accordance with a respective filtering criteria, the method comprising:

computing per each of the songs a weight based on both the usage history data and one of the at least two filtering data sets;

setting the filtering data sets based on the history data input by a user;

selecting a song from the group of songs based on the weight computed in the computing and creating at least two filtering packages which are different combinations of the songs from the group of songs, wherein each of the at least two filtering packages represents a list of song identification information identifying the song selected;

displaying the group of songs and the at least two filtering packages representing the list including the combinations of the songs; and

reproducing a song included in the filtering packages read from the recording unit if the user selects the song in the list of the filtering packages, wherein the reproduced song corresponds to a song being output from a speaker.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the computing computes per each of the songs a weight about a period for which the song has been checked out.

12. A music information processing method carried out by an information processor having recorded therein a group of songs including a plurality of songs, history data indicative of usage history of the songs, and at least two filtering data sets, each of the at least two filtering data sets defining a filtering criteria as computation of a weight per each of the songs in accordance with a respective filtering criteria, the method comprising:

computing per each of the songs a weight based on the history data, related data about a group of songs, and one of the at least two filtering data sets;

setting the filtering data sets based on the history data input by a user;

selecting a song from the group of songs based on the weight computed in the computing and creating at least two filtering packages which are different combinations of the songs from the group of songs, wherein each of the at least two filtering packages represents a list of song identification information identifying the song selected;

displaying the group of songs and the at least two filtering packages representing the list including the combinations of the songs; and

reproducing a song included in the filtering packages read from the recording unit if the user selects the song in the list of the filtering packages, wherein the reproduced song corresponds to a song being output from a speaker.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the computing computes per each of the songs a weight about a period for which the song has been checked out.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

adding a new filtering data set.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the computing computes a weight related to a genre of the song.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the computing computes a weight about a playing time of the song.

17. A program storage medium having recorded therein an information processing program for use in an information processor having recorded therein a group of songs including a plurality of songs, usage history data indicative of usage history of the songs, and at least two filtering data sets, each of the at least two filtering data sets defining a filtering criteria as a computation of a weight per each of the songs in accordance with a respective filtering criteria, the program comprising:

computing per each of the songs a weight based on both the usage history data and one of the at least two filtering data sets;

setting the filtering data sets based on the history data input by a user;

selecting a song from the group of songs based on the weight computed in the computing and creating at least two filtering packages which are different combinations of the songs from the group of songs, wherein each of the at least two filtering packages represents a list of song identification information identifying the song selected;

displaying the group of songs and the at least two filtering packages representing the list including the combinations of the songs; and

reproducing a song included in the filtering packages read from the recording unit if the user selects the song in the list of the filtering packages wherein the reproduced song corresponds to a song being output from a speaker.

18. The medium according to claim 17, wherein the computing computes per each of the songs a weight about a period for which the song has been checked out.

19. A program storage medium having recorded therein an information processing program for use in an information processor having recorded therein a group of songs including a plurality of songs, history data indicative of usage history of the songs, and at least two filtering data sets, each of the at least two filtering data sets defining a filtering criteria as a computation of a weight per each of the songs in accordance with a respective filtering criteria, the program comprising:

computing per each of the songs a weight based on the history data, related data, and one of the at least two filtering data sets;

setting the filtering data sets based on the history data input by a user;

selecting a song from the group of songs based on the weight computed in the computing and creating at least two filtering packages which are different combinations of the songs from the group of songs, wherein each of the at least two filtering packages represents a list of song identification information identifying the song selected;

displaying the group of songs and the at least two filtering packages representing the list including the combinations of the songs; and

reproducing a song included in the filtering packages read from the recording unit if the user selects the song in the list of the filtering packages, wherein the reproduced song corresponds to a song being output from a speaker.

20. The medium according to claim 19, wherein the computing computes per each of the songs a weight about a period for which the song has been checked out.

21. The medium according to claim 19, further comprising:

adding a new filtering data set.

22. The medium according to claim 19, wherein the computing computes a weight related to a genre of the song.

23. The medium according to claim 19, wherein the computing computes a weight about a playing time of the song.