Content providing system, receiving apparatus and method, storage medium, and program

• US 8,195,740 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2009
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sisvel International S.A. (Fineur International S.A.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Komatsuzaki, Yoriko, Sato, Makoto, Noda, Takuro
• Primary Examiner(s): Colin, Carl
• Assistant Examiner(s): SIDDIQI, MOHAMMAD A
• Application Number:
  US12/482,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20090248798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/205, 709/217, 709/220, 709227-229, 725/37, 725/38, 725/105, 725/143, 725/146, 725/22
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2358/00 Arrangements for display data security
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/02 Networking aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/025 LAN communication management
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/06 Consumer Electronics Control, i.e. control of another device by a display or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/440281 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• 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 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17363 : at or near the user terminal

Abstract

The present invention relates to a content providing system, a receiving apparatus and method, a storage medium, and a program, which enable to perform a variety of contents provisions. An operational terminal 21 can obtain, from a storage terminal 1, contents corresponding to utilization information sent from an operational terminal 11 that is receiving provision of predetermined contents from a storage terminal 1. That is, if a user 23 is interested in contents that a user 13 is watching and listening to on the operational terminal 11, and desires to watch and listen to it, the user 23 can watch and listen to on the operational terminal 21, the contents that the user 13 is watching and listening to, by holding the operational terminal 21 very close to the operational terminal 11, or holding the operational terminal 11 very close to the operational terminal 21.

Claims

1. A content providing system comprising a content providing apparatus for providing contents, and a first content utilizing apparatus and a second content utilizing apparatus, each of which receives provision of contents from said content providing apparatus, characterized in that:

said content providing apparatus comprises, in response to a request, providing means for providing contents to said first content utilizing apparatus or said second content utilizing apparatus,

said first content utilizing apparatus comprises;

first requesting means for requesting said content providing apparatus to provide contents;

first obtaining means for obtaining said contents provided from said providing means of said content providing apparatus, in response to a request by said first requesting means;

first utilizing means for utilizing said contents obtained by said first obtaining means; and

sending means for sending, in response to a request, utilization information of said contents obtained by said first obtaining means, to said second content utilizing apparatus, and

said second content utilizing apparatus comprises;

second requesting means for requesting said first content utilizing apparatus to provide contents;

receiving means for receiving said utilization information sent by said sending means of said first content utilizing apparatus, in response to a request by said second requesting means;

third requesting means for requesting said content providing apparatus to provide contents corresponding to said utilization information received by said receiving means;

second obtaining means for obtaining said contents provided by said providing means of said content providing apparatus, in response to a request by said third requesting means; and

second utilizing means for utilizing said contents obtained by said second obtaining means.

2. The content providing system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that:

said sending means of said first content utilizing apparatus sends said second content utilizing apparatus said contents that are currently obtained by said first obtaining means, or said utilization information of said contents that are currently utilized by said first utilizing means.

3. The content providing system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that:

an ID of said contents obtained by said first obtaining means of said first content utilizing apparatus is contained in said utilization information.

4. The content providing system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that:

an ID of said contents obtained by said first obtaining means of said first content utilizing apparatus, and control information for controlling utilization of contents, or apparatus information indicating an apparatus that controls utilization of contents are contained in said utilization information.

5. The content providing system as set forth in claim 4, characterized in that:

said control information is utilization indication information indicating predetermined utilization, or utilization permission information indicating permission or non-permission of predetermined utilization, and

said second utilizing means of said second content utilizing apparatus utilizes said contents obtained by said second obtaining means, on the basis of said utilization indication information or said utilization permission information.

6. The content providing system as set forth in claim 5, characterized in that:

said utilization indication information is information indicating utilization of anyone of reproduce, stop, temporary stop, fast-forward, or rewind, store, or printing of said content, and said utilization permission information is information indicating permission or non-permission of utilization of any one of reproduce, stop, temporary stop, fast-forward, or rewind, store, or printing.

7. The content providing system as set forth in claim 5, characterized in that:

said utilization indication information is information indicating utilization corresponding to utilization by said first utilizing means of said first content utilizing apparatus.

8. The content providing system as set forth in claim 4, characterized in that:

said apparatus information is information indicating one apparatus of said content providing apparatus, said first content utilizing apparatus, and said second content utilizing apparatus, and

said second utilizing means of said second content utilizing apparatus utilizes said contents obtained by said second obtaining means, in accordance with control of said apparatus indicated by said apparatus information.

9. The content providing system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that:

said first content utilizing apparatus further comprises designating means for designating said contents obtained by said first obtaining means, and

said sending means sends, in response to a request, said utilizing information of said contents designated by said designating means, to said second content utilizing apparatus.

10. The content providing system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that:

said second content utilizing apparatus further comprises designating means for designating provision of said contents that are currently obtained by said first obtaining means of said first content utilizing apparatus, or provision of said contents that are currently utilized by said first utilizing means,

said second requesting means requests said provision designated by said designating means, from said first content utilizing apparatus, and

said sending means of said first content utilizing apparatus sends said second content utilizing apparatus, in response to a request by said second requesting means of said second content utilizing apparatus, said contents that are currently obtained by said first obtaining means, or said utilization information of said contents that are currently utilized by said first utilizing means.

11. The content providing system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that:

said second content utilizing apparatus further comprises executing means for executing a predetermined process, and

said second utilizing means stops said process if said process by said executing means is being executed when utilizing said contents, and resumes said process when utilization of said contents is terminated.

12. A content providing system comprising a first content providing apparatus and a second content providing apparatus for providing contents, and a content utilizing apparatus for receiving a content provision from said first content providing apparatus or said second content providing apparatus, characterized in that:

said first content providing apparatus comprises;

first providing means for providing, in response to a request, contents to said second content providing apparatus or said content utilizing apparatus, and

sending means for sending, in response to a request, provision information about said content provision by said first providing means, to said second content providing apparatus,

said second content providing apparatus comprises;

first requesting means for requesting said first content providing apparatus to provide contents;

receiving means for receiving said provision information sent by said sending means of said first content providing apparatus, in response to a request by said first requesting means;

second requesting means for requesting said first content providing apparatus to provide contents corresponding to said provision information received by said receiving means;

first obtaining means for obtaining said contents provided by said first providing means of said first content providing apparatus, in response to a request by said second requesting means;

storing means for storing said contents obtained by said first obtaining means; and

second providing means for providing, in response to a request, contents stored by said storing means, to said content utilizing apparatus, and

said content utilizing apparatus comprises;

third requesting means for requesting said first content providing apparatus or said second content providing apparatus to provide contents;

second obtaining means for obtaining said contents provided by said first providing means of said first content providing apparatus or said second providing means of said second content providing apparatus, in response to a request by said third requesting means; and

utilizing means for utilizing said contents obtained by said second obtaining means,

wherein said first content utilizing apparatus further comprises designating means for designating said contents provided by said first providing means, and said sending means sends, in response to a request, said provision information of said contents designated by said designating means, to said second content providing apparatus.

13. The content providing system as set forth in claim 12, characterized in that:

said sending means of said first content providing apparatus sends said second content providing apparatus said contents that are currently provided to said content utilizing apparatus by said first providing means, or said provision information of said contents that are currently utilized by said utilizing means of said content utilizing apparatus.

14. The content providing system as set forth in claim 12, characterized in that:

said provision information is an ID of said content provided by said first providing means of said first content providing apparatus.

15. The content providing system as set forth in claim 12, characterized in that:

said provision information is an ID of said contents provided by said first providing means of said first content providing apparatus, and control information for controlling utilization of contents, or apparatus information indicating an apparatus that controls utilization of contents.

16. The content providing system as set forth in claim 15, characterized in that:

said control information is utilization indication information indicating predetermined utilization or utilization permission information indicating permission or non-permission of predetermined utilization,

said second providing means of said second content providing apparatus provides said control information with said contents stored by said storing means to said content utilizing apparatus,

said second obtaining means of said content utilizing apparatus obtains said contents provided by said second providing means of said second content providing apparatus and said control information, in response to a request by said third requesting means, and

said utilizing means utilizes said contents on the basis of said control information.

17. The content providing system as set forth in claim 16, characterized in that:

said utilization indication information is information indicating utilization of anyone of reproduce, stop, temporary stop, fast-forward, or rewind, store, or printing of said contents, and said utilization permission information is information indicating permission or non-permission of utilization of any one of reproduce, stop, temporary stop, fast-forward, or rewind, store, or printing.

18. The content providing system as set forth in claim 15, characterized in that:

said apparatus information is information indicating one apparatus of said first content providing apparatus, said second content providing apparatus, and said content utilizing apparatus, and

said utilizing means of said content utilizing apparatus utilizes said contents obtained by said second obtaining means, in accordance with control of said apparatus indicated by said apparatus information.

19. The content providing system as set forth in claim 12, characterized in that:

said content utilizing apparatus further comprises designating means for designating provision of said contents that are currently provided to said content utilizing apparatus by said first contents providing means of said first content providing apparatus, or provision of said contents that are currently utilized by said utilizing means of said content utilizing apparatus,

said second requesting means requests said provision designated by said designating means, from said first content providing apparatus, and

said sending means of said first content providing apparatus sends said second content providing means, in response to a request by said second requesting means of said second content providing apparatus, said contents that are currently provided to said content utilizing apparatus by said first providing means, or said provision information of said contents that are currently utilized by said utilizing means of said content utilizing apparatus.