Information-processing system, information-processing apparatus, and information-processing method

• US 8,001,573 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2006
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sakao, Katsutoshi, Maeda, Satoru, Onishi, Manabu
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton; Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): OKEKE, ONYEDIKA C
• Application Number:
  US11/403,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,951 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42228 the reprogrammable keys being displayed on a display screen in order to reduce the number of keys on the remote control device itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

In an information-processing system shown in FIG. 1, a server (106) for delivering remote-operation control information in accordance with an audio/video instrument (110) and an information-processing apparatus (103) with a remote-operation screen display function for remote-controlling the audio/video instrument (110) based on control information acquired from this server (106) are connected to each other through the Internet (105) etc. The information-processing apparatus (103) makes a request to the server (106) to deliver the remote-operation control information in accordance with this audio/video instrument (110) and, based on the control information delivered from the server (106) owing to this delivery request, performs display processing of a remote-operation screen and, based on remote-operation information input by operations on the remote-operation screen, remote-controls the audio/video instrument (110).

Claims

1. A base station connected to video information providing apparatus that is remote-controlled from the base station,

the base station wirelessly transmitting video content information supplied from the video information providing apparatus to touch-panel video display apparatus that is remote from said base station, the video display apparatus being of the type (a) to display the transmitted video content information and (b) to request downloading of a remote-controller user interface from an external data base and (c) to store remote-control build up data associated with said video information providing apparatus for controlling plural functions of said video information providing apparatus,

said base station receiving and storing in a non-volatile memory remote-controller user interface information included in said remote-control build-up data downloaded from said external data base and for wirelessly transmitting, in response to user operation of said touch- panel video display apparatus, the remote-controller user interface information stored in said non-volatile memory for displaying on said touch-panel video display apparatus a remote- controller user interface that displays the image of a user-operated touch-panel remote control unit downloaded from said external data base and associated with said video information providing apparatus, said image of said touch-panel remote control unit including touch-sensitive button images on said display, to select and control the operating functions of said video information providing apparatus, so as to produce remote-operation information at said base station in response to operations on said user interface by a user operating the touch-sensitive button images;

said base station comprising;

said non-volatile memory for storing the downloaded remote-control build-up data from said external data base;

a receiver unit for wirelessly receiving remote-control information from said video display apparatus, generated by user operations on the touch-sensitive button images, to produce said remote-operation information that controls the operating functions of the video information providing apparatus that is connected to said base station;

a remote-control unit for remotely controlling said video information providing apparatus in response to said remote- control information received from said video display apparatus;

a video information reception unit for wirelessly receiving video content information from said video information providing apparatus controlled by said remote- control information; and

a transmitter unit for wirelessly transmitting both said video content information received from said video information providing apparatus and said downloaded user interface information stored in said non-volatile memory to said video display apparatus for storing at said video display apparatus the same user interface information that is stored in said non-volatile memory, and for displaying on said video display apparatus both video content from said video information providing apparatus and said image of the user-operated touch panel remote control unit superposed on said video content; and

whereby said base station controls the operating functions of the video information providing apparatus directly.

2. A method by which a base station wirelessly transmits video content information supplied from video information providing apparatus, the video information providing apparatus being remote-controlled from the base station, to touch-panel video display apparatus that is remote from said base station, the video display apparatus being of the type (a) to display the transmitted video content information and (b) to request downloading of a remote-controller user interface from an external data base and (c) to store remote-control build up data associated with said video information providing apparatus for controlling plural functions of said video information providing apparatus,

said base station receiving and storing in a non-volatile memory remote-controller user interface information included in said remote-control build-up data downloaded from said external data base and for wirelessly transmitting, in response to user operation of said touch-panel video display apparatus, the remote-controller user interface information stored in said non-volatile memory for displaying on said touch-panel video display apparatus a remote-controller user interface that displays the image of a user-operated touch-panel remote control unit downloaded from said external data base and associated with said video information providing apparatus, said image of said touch-panel remote control unit including touch-sensitive button images on said display, to select and control the operating functions of said video information providing apparatus so as to produce remote-operation information at said base station in response to operations on said user interface by a user operating the touch-sensitive button images;

said method comprising the steps of;

storing in a non-volatile memory in said base station the downloaded remote-control build-up data from said external data base;

wirelessly receiving at the base station remote-control information from said video display apparatus, generated by user operations on the touch-sensitive button images, to produce said remote-operation information that controls the operating functions of the video information providing apparatus that is connected to said base station;

remotely controlling said video information providing apparatus in response to said remote- control information received from said video display apparatus;

wirelessly receiving video content information from said video information providing apparatus controlled by said remote- control information; and

wirelessly transmitting both said video content information received from said video information providing apparatus and said downloaded user interface information stored in said non-volatile memory to said video display apparatus for storing at said video display apparatus the same user interface information that is stored in said non-volatile memory, and for displaying on said video display apparatus both video content from said video information providing apparatus and said image of the user-operated touch panel remote control unit superposed on said video content; and

whereby said base station controls the operating functions of the video information providing apparatus directly.

3. A non-transitory computer-readable record medium for storing a program operable to control a processor to carry out the method by which a base station wirelessly transmits video content information supplied from video information providing apparatus, the video information providing apparatus being remote-controlled from the base station, to touch-panel video display apparatus that is remote from said base station, the video display apparatus being of the type (a) to display the transmitted video content information and (b) to request downloading of a remote-controller user interface from an external data base and (c) to store remote-control build up data associated with said video information providing apparatus for controlling plural functions of said video information providing apparatus,

said base station receiving and storing in a non-volatile memory remote-controller user interface information included in said remote-control build-up data downloaded from said external data base and for wirelessly transmitting, in response to user operation of said touch-panel video display apparatus, the remote-controller user interface information stored in said non-volatile memory for displaying on said touch-panel video display apparatus a remote-controller user interface that displays the image of a user-operated touch-panel remote control unit downloaded from said external data base and associated with said video information providing apparatus, said image of said touch-panel remote control unit including touch-sensitive button images on said display, to select and control the operating functions of said video information providing apparatus so as to produce remote-operation information at said base station in response to operations on said user interface by a user operating the touch-sensitive button images;

said program implementing the steps of;

storing in a non-volatile memory in said base station the downloaded remote-control build-up data from said external data base;

wirelessly receiving at the base station remote-control information from said video display apparatus, generated by user operations on the touch-sensitive button images , to produce said remote-operation information that controls the operating functions of the video information providing apparatus that is connected to said base station;

remotely controlling said video information providing apparatus in response to said remote- control information received from said video display apparatus;

wirelessly receiving video content information from said video information providing apparatus controlled by said remote- control information; and

wirelessly transmitting both said video content information received from said video information providing apparatus and said downloaded user interface information stored in said non-volatile memory to said video display apparatus for storing at said video display apparatus the same user interface information that is stored in said non-volatile memory, and for displaying on said video display apparatus both video content from said video information providing apparatus and said image of the user-operated touch panel remote control unit superposed on said video content; and

whereby said base station controls the operating functions of the video information providing apparatus directly.