Information reproduction device and method and program

• US 8,156,122 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2004
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Iwatsu, Takeshi, Koike, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Dennis
• Application Number:
  US10/573,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20070055643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,804 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/213, 709/203, 709/220, 711/133, 711/118, 707/999.001, 707/738, 707/795, 707/796, 707/813, 725/86, 725/105, 725/143
• US Class Current: 707/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

An information processing apparatus that connects with an external apparatus via a network includes a transmitter that transmits a request for page information to the external apparatus. A receiver receives the page information, which includes identification information corresponding to content data and the content data. A memory stores the content data, based on the identification information independently of the page information. An interface outputs the content data along with the page information. A controller detects whether the memory is storing the content data independently of the page information, controls the interface to output the content data stored by the memory without an inquiry via the network when the controller detects that the memory is storing the content data independently of the page information, and controls the receiver to receive the content data from the external apparatus via the network when the content data is not stored in the memory.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

means for transmitting a call sign of a radio station and for transmitting a request to a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for page information;

means for receiving the URL in response to a transmission of the call sign of the radio station, for receiving said page information, which includes identification information corresponding to content data, from an external apparatus in response to the request to the URL, and for receiving said content data, the identification information identifying a vendor;

storing means for storing said content data received by said means for receiving, based on said identification information, independently of said page information, and for storing a file of another vendor;

means for outputting said content data along with said page information; and

control means for registering in said storing means, in response to the identification information, said content data in an uncompressed format upon a reception of said content data in a compressed format from said external apparatus, for detecting whether said storing means is storing said content data independently of said page information, for controlling said means for outputting to output said content data from said storing means without an inquiry to the external apparatus when said control means detects that said storing means is storing said content data independently of said page information, for controlling said means for receiving to receive said content data from the external apparatus when said content data is not stored in said storing means, and for removing all files from said storing means except for files of the vendor.

2. An information processing method, comprising:

transmitting a call sign of a radio station;

receiving a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) in the response to the transmitting;

transmitting a request to the URL for page information;

receiving from an external apparatus the page information in response to the request to the URL, the page information including identification information corresponding to content data, the identification information identifying a vendor;

detecting whether the content data is stored in a storage apparatus independently of said page information;

acquiring, when the detecting detects that the content data is stored in said storage apparatus independently of said page information, said content data from said storage apparatus without an inquiry to the external apparatus;

acquiring, when the detecting detects that said content data is not stored in said storage apparatus, the content data from said external apparatus;

registering in said storage apparatus, in response to the identification information, the content data in an uncompressed format upon a reception of the content data in a compressed format from said external apparatus;

storing, in said storage apparatus, the content data acquired in the acquiring from said external apparatus, based on said identification information, independently of said page information;

storing in said storage apparatus a file of another vendor;

outputting the content data from said storage apparatus along with said page information on an output interface; and

removing all files from said storage apparatus except for files of the vendor.

3. A computer-readable medium that stores computer executable instructions, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by a processing unit, cause the processing unit to perform a method comprising:

transmitting a call sign of a radio station;

receiving a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) in response to the transmitting;

transmitting a request to the URL for page information;

receiving from an external apparatus the page information in response to the request to the URL, the page information including identification information corresponding to content data, the identification information identifying a vendor;

detecting whether the content data is stored in a storage apparatus independently of said page information;

acquiring, when the detecting detects that the content data is stored in said storage apparatus independently of said page information, said content data from said storage apparatus without an inquiry to the external apparatus;

acquiring, when the detecting detects that said content data is not stored in said storage apparatus, the content data from said external apparatus;

registering in said storage apparatus, in response to the identification information, the content data in an uncompressed format upon a reception of said content data in a compressed format from said external apparatus;

storing, in said storage apparatus, the content data acquired in the acquiring from said external apparatus, based on said identification information, independently of said page information;

storing in said storage apparatus a file of another vendor;

outputting the content data from said storage apparatus along with said page information on an output interface; and

removing all files from said storage apparatus except for files of the vendor.

4. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a network device that transmits a call sign of a radio station, receives a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) in response to a transmission of the call sign of the radio station, transmits a request to the URL for page information, receives said page information, which includes identification information corresponding to content data, from an external apparatus in response to the request to the URL, and receives said content data, the identification information identifying a vendor;

a memory configured to store said content data received by said network device, based on said identification information, independently of said page information, and to store a file of another vendor;

an interface that outputs said content data along with said page information; and

a controller configured to register in said memory, in response to the identification information, said content data in an uncompressed format upon a reception of said content data in a compressed format from said external apparatus, to detect whether said memory is storing said content data independently of said page information, to control said interface to output said content data from said memory without an inquiry to the external apparatus when said controller detects that said memory is storing said content data independently of said page information, to control said network device to receive said content data from the external apparatus when said content data is not stored in said memory, and to remove all files from the memory except for files of the vendor.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said controller is configured to store in said memory the content data.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the content data is image data, and the page information defines a portal site.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the content data is sound data, and the page information defines a portal site.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said controller is configured to count a number of times the content data has been reproduced, and said controller is configured to store in said memory the content data, which has been accessed more than a certain number of times.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said controller is configured to count a number of times the content data has been reproduced, and said controller is configured to remove from said memory the content data, based on the number of times.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said controller is configured to register in said memory an indicator showing an importance of said content data, and to prevent said content data from being removed from said memory based on said indicator of said content data regardless of a number of times of access of said content data.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said controller reproduces the content data, and said controller is further configured to convert the content data into a compression format corresponding to characteristics of said controller, and to then register said content data in said memory.

12. The information reproduction apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the page information includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), and said controller is configured to access, when the content data is not stored in said memory, said URL included in the page information to acquire said content data from said external apparatus.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to translate the content data from a first format and a first size into a second format and a second size based on a characteristic of the interface.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the interface includes a display of predetermined dimensions, and the second size is based on the predetermined dimensions of the display.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, when a number of files cached in the memory exceeds a predetermined threshold, the controller removes all files from the memory except for the files of the vendor.