Reception method, reception device, transmission method, transmission device, transmission/reception method, transmission/reception device

• US 8,037,498 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2001
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hirata, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar; Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, RUEBEN M
• Application Number:
  US10/029,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20030079231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,574 Days
• Field of Search: 725/58, 725/51, 725/39, 348460-461
• US Class Current: 725/58
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• 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 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42692 for reading from or writing on a volatile storage medium, e.g. Random Access Memory [RAM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• 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 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape

Abstract

An electronic mail on which a control command is interpolated is transmitted through a public line, received by a modem section of a gate way, converted to a digital data, and supplied to the control section. A CPU of the control section stores the received electronic mail in a RAM, and extracts the control command contained in the electronic mail. The CPU supplies a control signal corresponding to the control command to an interface section. The interface section controls an IR transmission section to transmit a signal corresponding to the control signal supplied from the CPU or outputs a signal through a connection line, and controls a video deck.

Claims

1. A reception device for controlling a recording module, comprising:

means for receiving an electronic mail as a formatted file including operating mode information, operation starting time information and operation ending time information of the recording module and being transmitted through a network;

a central processing unit that extracts at least one text-based control command in said formatted file received by said means for receiving, wherein said text-based control command is in said formatted file to control said recording module; and

means for controlling that controls said recording module based on said text based control command extracted by said central processing unit, wherein said means for controlling has a timer reservation function, and said means for controlling reserves an operation time of said recording module, said means for controlling judges whether a character string in said electronic mail is a control command, and when a control command is judged to exist in the electronic mail, the means for controlling checks for at least one of a reservation command, a cancellation command, and a confirmation command so as to control said recording module.

2. The reception device according to claim 1, wherein said network is the Internet based on Transmission Control Protocol over Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

3. The reception device according to claim 1, wherein said operation time of said recording module is stored in memory.

4. The reception device according to claim 1, wherein said recording module is a video recording module.

5. The reception device according to claim 1, wherein said recording module is a television program recording module.

6. A reception device for controlling a recording module, comprising:

means for receiving an electronic mail as a formatted file including operating mode information, operation starting time information and operation ending time information of the recording module and being transmitted through a network;

a central processing unit that extracts at least one text-based control command in said formatted file received by said means for receiving, wherein said text-based control command is in said formatted file to control said recording module; and

means for controlling that controls said recording module based on said text based control command extracted by said central processing unit, wherein said means for controlling has a timer reservation function, and said means for controlling reserves an operation time of said recording module, further comprising both Infra-Red and direct transmission interfaces to said recording module, said means for controlling judges whether a character string in said electronic mail is a control command, and when a control command is judged to exist in the electronic mail, the means for controlling checks for at least one of a reservation command, a cancellation command, and a confirmation command so as to control said recording module.

7. A reception device for controlling a recording module, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive an electronic mail as a formatted file including operating mode information, operation starting time information and operation ending time information of the recording module and being transmitted through a network;

a central processing unit programmed to extract at least one text-based control command in said formatted file received by said receiver, wherein said text-based control command is in said formatted file to control said recording module; and

a controller that controls said recording module based on said text based control command extracted by said central processing unit wherein said controller has a timer reservation function, and said controller reserves an operation time of said recording module, said controller judges whether a character string in said electronic mail is a control command, and when a control command is judged to exist in the electronic mail, the controller checks for at least one of a reservation command, a cancellation command, and a confirmation command so as to control said recording module.

8. The reception device according to claim 7, wherein said network is the Internet based on Transmission Control Protocol over Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

9. The reception device according to claim 7, wherein said operation time of said recording module is stored in memory.

10. The reception device according to claim 7, wherein said recording module is a video recording module.

11. The reception device according to claim 7, wherein said recording module is a television program recording module.

12. The reception device according to claim 7, wherein said receiver is a modem.

13. A reception device for controlling a recording module, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive an electronic mail as a formatted file including operating mode information, operation starting time information and operation ending time information of the recording module and being transmitted through a network;

a central processing unit programmed to extract at least one text-based control command in said formatted file received by said receiver, wherein said text-based control command is in said formatted file to control said recording module; and

a controller that controls said recording module based on said text based control command extracted by said central processing unit wherein said controller has a timer reservation function, and said controller reserves an operation time of said recording module, further comprising both Infra-Red and direct transmission interfaces to said recording module, said controller judges whether a character string in said electronic mail is a control command, and when a control command is judged to exist in the electronic mail, the controller checks for at least one of a reservation command, a cancellation command, and a confirmation command so as to control said recording module.

14. A reception method for controlling a recording module, comprising the steps of:

receiving an electronic mail as a formatted file including operating mode information, operation starting time information and operation ending time information of the recording module and being transmitted through a network;

extracting at least one text-based control command in said formatted file received in said step of receiving, wherein said text-based control command is in said formatted file to control said recording module; and

controlling with a controller said recording module based on said text based control command extracted by said step of extracting, wherein said step of controlling controls a timer reservation function and reserves an operation time of said recording module, said controller judges whether a character string in said electronic mail is a control command, and when a control command is judged to exist in the electronic mail, the controller checks for at least one of a reservation command, a cancellation command, and a confirmation command so as to control said recording module.

15. The reception method according to claim 14, wherein said network is the Internet based on Transmission Control Protocol over Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

16. The reception method according to claim 14, wherein said operation time of said recording module is stored in memory.

17. The reception method according to claim 14, wherein said recording module is a video recording module.

18. The reception method according to claim 14, wherein said recording module is a television program recording module.

19. A transmission/reception system for controlling a recording module, comprising:

means for transmitting from a first location an electronic mail as a formatted file including operating mode information, operation starting time information and operation ending time information of the recording module and at least one text-based control command to control said recording module through a network;

means for receiving said formatted file;

a central processing unit that extracts said text-based control command in said formatted file received by said means for receiving; and

means for controlling that controls said recording module based on said text-based control command extracted by said central processing unit, wherein said means for controlling has a timer reservation function, and said means for controlling reserves an operation time of said recording module, said means for receiving, means for extracting, means for controlling, and recording module being at a common second location that is different than said first location, said means for controlling judges whether a character string in said electronic mail is a control command, and when a control command is judged to exist in the electronic mail, the means for controlling checks for at least one of a reservation command, a cancellation command, and a confirmation command so as to control said recording module.

20. The transmission/reception system according to claim 19, wherein said network is the Internet based on Transmission Control Protocol over Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

21. The transmission/reception system according to claim 19, wherein said operation time of said recording module is stored in memory.

22. The transmission/reception system according to claim 19, wherein said recording module is a video recording module.

23. The transmission/reception system according to claim 19, wherein said recording module is a television program recording module.

24. A transmission/reception system for controlling a recording module, comprising:

a transmitter at a first location configured to transmit an electronic mail as a formatted file including operating mode information, operation starting time information and operation ending time information of the recording module and at least one text-based control command to control said recording module through a network;

a receiver configured to receive said formatted file;

a central processing unit programmed to extract said text-based control command in said formatted file received by said receiver; and

a controller that controls said recording module based on said text-based control command extracted by said central processing unit, wherein said controller has a timer reservation function, and said controller reserves an operation time of said recording module, wherein said receiver, processor, controller and recording module being at a common second location that is different than the first location, said controller judges whether a character string in said electronic mail is a control command, and when a control command is judged to exist in the electronic mail, the controller checks for at least one of a reservation command, a cancellation command, and a confirmation command so as to control said recording module.

25. The reception device according to claim 24, wherein said network is the Internet based on Transmission Control Protocol over Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

26. The reception device according to claim 24, wherein said operation time of said recording module is stored in memory.

27. The reception device according to claim 24, wherein said recording module is a video recording module.

28. The reception device according to claim 24, wherein said recording module is a television program recording module.

29. The reception device according to claim 24, wherein said receiver is a modem.

30. The reception device according to claim 24, further comprising both Infra-Red and direct transmission interfaces to said recording module.

31. A transmission/reception method for controlling a recording module, comprising the steps of:

transmitting from a first location an electronic mail as a formatted file including operating mode information, operation starting time information and operation ending time information of the recording module and at least one text-based control command to control said recording module through a network;

receiving said formatted file at a second location that is different than the first location;

extracting said text-based control command in said formatted file received by said step of receiving; and

controlling with a controller said recording module based on said text based control command extracted by said step of extracting, wherein said step of controlling has a timer reservation function, and said step of controlling reserves an operation time of said recording module, said recording module being at said second location, said controller judges whether a character string in said electronic mail is a control command, and when a control command is judged to exist in the electronic mail, the controller checks for at least one of a reservation command, a cancellation command, and a confirmation command so as to control said recording module.

32. The transmission/reception method according to claim 31, wherein said network is the Internet based on Transmission Control Protocol over Internet Protocol TCP/IP.

33. The transmission/reception method according to claim 31, wherein said operation time of said recording module is stored in memory.

34. The transmission/reception method according to claim 31, wherein said recording module is a video recording module.

35. The transmission/reception method according to claim 31, wherein said recording module is a television program recording module.