Information processing apparatus and information processing method

• US 7,774,426 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2007
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ono, Masamichi, Kawai, Toshihiko, Sakaida, Atsushi, Kohno, Tetsuya, Sakata, Junichiro, Nakamura, Takatoshi, Iriya, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, LIANG CHE A
• Application Number:
  US11/958,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20080109094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/213, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/226
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to allow a client to make a request for music data stored in a server and to receive it and play it back. A client program 421 controls the sending of a request signal to a server 401, the reception and playback processing of music data from the server 401, and the display of a GUI performed by a display controller 426, and outputs the music data received by a communication unit 423 from the server 401 to an audio data converter 424. A server program 411 controls the sending of music data to the client 402, and registration of information in a music database 415, a link information database 416, and a ranking information database 417, searches the music database 415 for the requested music data, and sends the music data to the client 402. The present invention can be applied to a personal computer, a PDA, a cellular telephone, a desk-top playback device, a portable playback device, and a simplified playback device.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

means for inputting an operation input of a user;

means for producing a first request signal requesting a part of multimedia data stored in a different information processing apparatus be sent and a second request signal requesting that all of the multimedia data be sent based on the operation of the user received by said means for receiving;

means for sending the first request signal or the second request signal produced by said means for producing to the different information processing apparatus;

means for receiving part or all of the multimedia data sent from the different information processing apparatus;

means for reproducing part or all the multimedia data received by said means for receiving; and

means for controlling said means for reproducing so as to reproduce the part of the multimedia data that is sent from the different information processing apparatus which received the first request signal, that is received by said means for receiving, and that corresponds to the first request signal, and for controlling said means for reproducing so as to reproduce all of the multimedia data this is sent from the different information processing apparatus which received the second request signal, that is received by said means for receiving and that corresponds to the second request signal.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for producing produces the first request signal when a first operation is input from the user by said means for inputting or when reproduction of the part of the multimedia data by said means for reproducing ends, but produces the second request signal when a second operation is input from the user by said means for inputting.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said means for producing produces, when a second operation is input from the user by said means for inputting, the second request signal requesting that all of the multimedia data corresponding to the part of the multimedia data which is being reproduced by said means for reproducing be sent, and

said means for controlling controls, when the second request signal is produced, said means for reproducing so as to reproduce all of the multimedia data that is sent from the different information processing apparatus which received the second request signal, that is received by said means for receiving and that corresponds to the second request signal.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for producing produces the first request signal when a power supply is made available, when a first operation of the user is input by said means for inputting or when reproduction of part or all of the multimedia data by said means for reproducing ends, but produces the second request signal when a second operation of the user is input by said means for inputting.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein said means for producing produces, when the first operation is input from the user by said means for inputting and when part of the multimedia data is being reproduced by said means for reproducing, the second request signal for requesting that all of the multimedia data which is being reproduced be sent, but

produces, when reproduction of part of the multimedia data by said means for reproducing ends without receiving a multimedia operation input of the user by said means for inputting, the first request signal requesting that a part of data different from the multimedia data whose reproduction is ended be sent.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the part of the multimedia data requested by the first request signal is data indicative of a characteristic portion of all of the multimedia data to the user where the multimedia data is reproduced by said means for reproducing.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for reproducing inserts, when first multimedia data and second multimedia data received by said means for receiving are to be reproduced successively, white noise into a multimedia interval between sound reproduced from the first multimedia data and sound reproduced from the second multimedia data.

8. An information processing method comprising:

controlling an input of an operation of a user;

producing a first request signal requesting a part of multimedia data stored in a different information processing apparatus;

producing a second request signal requesting that all the multimedia data be sent based on the operation of the user whose input is controlled by the controlling the input;

sending the first request signal or the second request signal produced by the producing a first request signal or producing a second request signal to the different information processing apparatus;

receiving part or all the multimedia data sent from the different information processing apparatus;

controlling the process of reproducing the multimedia data that is sent from the different information processing apparatus which received the first request signal, that is received by the receiving and that corresponds to the first request signal; and

controlling the process of reproducing all of the multimedia data that is sent from the different information processing apparatus which received the second request signal, that is received by the receiving and that corresponds to the second request signal.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

producing the first request signal when an input of a first operation from the user is controlled by the controlling the input or when the reproduction of part of the multimedia data controlled by controlling the process of reproducing part of the multimedia data ends; and

producing the second request signal when an input of a second operation from the user is controlled by the controlling the input.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium including a program for causing a computer to execute a method stored thereon, the method comprising:

controlling an input of an operation of a user;

producing a first request signal requesting that a part of multimedia data stored on a different information processing apparatus be sent;

producing a second request signal requesting that all of the multimedia data be sent based on the operation of the user whose input is controlled by the controlling the input;

sending the first request signal or the second request signal produced by the producing a first request signal or producing a second request signal to the different information processing apparatus;

receiving part or all the multimedia data sent from the different information processing apparatus;

controlling the process of reproducing the multimedia data that is sent from the different information processing apparatus which received the first request signal, that is received by the receiving and that corresponds to the first request signal; and

controlling the process of reproducing all of the multimedia data that is sent from the different information processing apparatus which received the second request signal, that is received by the receiving and that corresponds to the second request signal.

11. An information processing apparatus comprising:

means for producing a first request signal requesting reproduction of part of multimedia data and for producing a second request signal requesting reproduction of all of the multimedia data;

means for acquiring part of the multimedia data in response to the first request signal and for acquiring all of the multimedia data in response to the second request signal;

means for reproducing part or all of the multimedia data acquired by said means for acquiring; and

means for controlling, when the first request signal is produced, said means for reproducing so as to reproduce part of the multimedia data and for controlling, when the second request signal is produced, said means for reproducing so as to reproduce all of the multimedia data.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said means for producing produces the first request signal when a first operation is input from a user or when reproduction of part of the multimedia data by said means for reproducing ends, but produces the second request signal when a second operation is input from the user.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

said means for producing produces, when a second operation is input from a user, the second request signal requesting that all of the multimedia data corresponding to part of the multimedia data which is being reproduced by said means for reproducing is sent, and

said means for controlling controls, when the second request signal is produced, said means for reproducing so as to reproduce all of the multimedia data acquired by said means for acquiring and corresponding to the second request signal.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said means for producing produces the first request signal when a first operation of a user is input by means for inputting or when reproduction of part or all the multimedia data by said means for reproducing ends, but produces the second request signal when a second operation of the user is input by said means for inputting.

15. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an inputting section configured to receive an input operation of a user;

a production section configured to produce a first request signal requesting that a part of multimedia data stored in a different information processing apparatus be sent and to produce a second request signal requesting that all the multimedia data be sent based on the input operation of the user;

a sending section configured to send the first request signal or the second request signal produced by said production section to the different information processing apparatus;

a reception section configured to receive part or all the multimedia data sent from the different information processing apparatus;

a reproduction section configured to reproduce part or all the multimedia data received from said reception section; and

a control section configured to control said reproduction section so as to reproduce the part of the multimedia data that is sent from the different information processing apparatus which received the first request signal, that is received by said reception section and that corresponds to the first request signal, and to control said reproduction section so as to reproduce all of the multimedia data that is sent from the different information processing apparatus which received the second request signal, that is received by said reception section and that corresponds to the second request signal.

16. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a production section configured to produce a first request signal requesting reproduction of part of multimedia data and to produce a second request signal requesting reproduction of all of the multimedia data;

an acquisition section configured to acquire part of the multimedia data in response to the first request signal and to acquire all of the multimedia data in response to the second request signal;

a reproduction section configured to reproduce part or all the multimedia data acquired by said acquisition section; and

a control section configured to control, when the first request signal is produced, said reproduction section so as to reproduce part of the multimedia data and to control, when the second request signal is produced, said reproduction section so as to reproduce all of the multimedia data.