Information processing apparatus and associated method of transferring grouped content

• US 7,797,456 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2000
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tambata, Ippei, Hatanaka, Mitsuyuki, Shiroma, Shin, Kojima, Kiyonobu, Morita, Toshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THUONG
• Application Number:
  US09/913,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20020159304A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,560 Days
• Field of Search: 709/216, 709/217, 709/203, 709/248, 704/270, 710/5, 700/94, 700/76, 715/863, 715/716, 715/727, 455/9, 455/95, 455/457, 455/417, 455/452, 345/358, 340/853.2, 340/908, 707/611, 707/621
• US Class Current: 709/248
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/63 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1062 Editing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00797 wherein the usage restriction limits the number of times a content can be reproduced, e.g. using playback counters
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00869 wherein the remote server can deliver the content to a receiving device
• 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 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets

Abstract

An information processor or personal computer is provided having an operably linked terminal which checks out/in in a content to or from the terminal. A device driver detects that a portable device is connected to the personal computer, and when the device driver detects that the portable device is connected to the personal computer, a start-up program reads contents-related data from the portable device and starts up a display/operation instruction program to provide a display corresponding to the read data.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a communication unit configured to communicate with a portable device for playing music data; and

a processor configured

to detect a connection between the information processing apparatus and the portable device via the communication unit,

to launch automatically a predetermined application installed in the information processing apparatus in response to the connection being detected, wherein said predetermined application is configured to transfer the music data between the portable device and the information processing apparatus, and to play the music data on the information processing apparatus; and

based on the launched application, to extract the music data to be transferred from the information processing apparatus according to a predetermined condition related to associated information of the music data.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

based on the launched application, said processor

controls the communication unit to receive associated information of the music data from the portable device, and

controls a display unit to display said associated information.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

based on the launched application, said processor controls the communication unit to transfer the music data from the information processing apparatus to the portable device.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

based on the launched application, said processor controls the transferring of the music data without regard to a user input.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

based on the launched application, said processor controls the communication unit to receive the music data from the portable device.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the predetermined condition is random.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the predetermined condition is stored in the portable device.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

based on the launched application, said processor

controls a reading unit to read music data from a Compact Disc (CD),

controls a compression of the read music data, and

stores the compressed music data into the information processing apparatus.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

based on the launched application, said processor controls the communication unit to transfer the compressed music data to the portable device without regard to a user input.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

based on the launched application, said processor controls a different communication unit to download the music data from a web server.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

based on the launched application, said processor controls the communication unit to transfer the downloaded music data to the portable device without regard to a user input.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said communication unit is Universal Serial Bus (USB).

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

based on the launched application, said processor controls a display unit to display an indication that the portable device is connected to the information processing apparatus.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

based on the launched application, said processor controls reproduction of said music data from the portable device.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the predetermined application is configured to organize the music data stored in the information processing apparatus.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processor is configured to determine whether the predetermined application has been started, and to automatically launch the predetermined application in response to the connection being detected and a determination that the predetermined application has not been started.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processor is configured to execute a starter program that detects the connection between the information processing apparatus and the portable device, and to launch automatically the predetermined application in response to the connection being detected.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embedded therein instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of an information processing apparatus, the method comprising:

detecting, by a control unit of the information processing apparatus, whether a portable device for playing music data is connected to the information processing apparatus via a communication unit, the communication unit being configured to communicate with the portable device;

launching automatically, by the control unit of the information processing apparatus, a predetermined application installed in the information processing apparatus in response to the portable device being detected to be connected to the information processing apparatus, wherein said predetermined application is configured to transfer the music data between the portable device and the information processing apparatus, and to play the music data on the information processing apparatus; and

based on the launched application, extracting, by the control unit of the information processing apparatus, the music data to be transferred from the information processing apparatus in accordance with a predetermined condition related to associated information of the music data.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, further comprising:

based on the launched application,

controlling, by said control unit, the communication unit to receive associated information of the music data from the portable device, and

controlling, by said control unit, a display unit to display said associated information.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, further comprising:

based on the launched application, controlling, by said control unit, the communication unit to transfer the music data from the information processing apparatus to the portable device.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 20, further comprising:

based on the launched application, controlling, by said control unit, the transferring of the music data without regard to a user input.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 20, wherein

based on the launched application, controlling, by said control unit, the communication unit to receive the music data from the portable device.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, wherein

the predetermined condition is random.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, wherein

the predetermined condition is stored in the portable device.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, further comprising:

based on the launched application,

controlling, by said control unit, a reading unit to read music data from a Compact Disc (CD),

controlling, by said control unit, a compression of the read music data, and

storing, by said control unit, the compressed music data into the information processing apparatus.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 25, further comprising:

based on the launched application, controlling, by said control unit, the communication unit to transfer the compressed music data to the portable device without regard to a user input.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, wherein

based on the launched application, controlling, by said control unit, a different communication unit to download the music data from a web server.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 27, further comprising:

based on the launched application, controlling, by said control unit, the communication unit to transfer the downloaded music data to the portable device without regard to a user input.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, wherein

said communication unit is Universal Serial Bus (USB).

30. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, wherein

based on the launched application, controlling, by said control unit, a display unit to display an indication that the portable device is connected to the information processing apparatus.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, further comprising:

based on the launched application, controlling, by said control unit, reproduction of said music data from the portable device.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, wherein

the predetermined application is configured to organize the music data stored in the information processing apparatus.

33. A method of an information processing apparatus, the method comprising:

detecting, by a control unit of the information processing apparatus, whether a portable device for playing music data is connected to the information processing apparatus via a communication unit, the communication unit being configured to communicate with the portable device;

launching automatically, by the control unit of the information processing apparatus, a predetermined application installed in the information processing apparatus in response to the portable device being detected to be connected to the information processing apparatus, wherein said predetermined application is configured to transfer the music data between the portable device and the information processing apparatus, and to play the music data on the information processing apparatus; and

based on the launched application, extracting, by the control unit of the information processing apparatus, the music data to be transferred from the information processing apparatus in accordance with a predetermined condition related to associated information of the music data.