Service managing apparatus and method, and service providing system and method

• US 8,291,100 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2004
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ogasawara, Yasutaka, Kunito, Yoshiyuki, Kimura, Shinya, Yageta, Isamu, Kawahata, Satoshi, Masuda, Yosuto
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferris, Derrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): LI, GUANG W
• Application Number:
  US10/541,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20060117097A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,891 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/231, 725/86, 725/105
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

A service providing system is provided which enables the users of an information transmission service in which information is sent and received in real time over a network to recognize their respective environment and conditions for provision of their own information. The service providing system (1) includes a service provider (2) including a communication server (11), a Web server (12) and a DB server (13) and a plurality of communication terminals (4) connected to the service provider (2) via the network, and it provides an information transmission service in which information is provided from one of communication devices to the other, or vice versa, in real time. The communication terminal (4) at the information provider first registers explanatory information, such as content, offering price, etc. of offered information to be provided into the DB server (13), and updates the information registered in the DB server (13) to a log-in status when the information provider has become able to provide the information in real time; and the Web server (12) updates the Web page at each time so that the explanatory information having thus been in the log-in status will be included in choices.

Claims

1. A service managing apparatus for managing an information transmission service in which digital content is sent in real time between communication devices connected to each other over a network, the apparatus comprising:

a communication controlling means for controlling the communication with each of the communication devices;

an information registering means for maintaining registration information on more than one piece of digital content available from those of the communication devices that are registered as an information provider; and

an information managing means for dynamically generating, based on the registration information, choices-window information from which selection is made of a desired one of the plurality of pieces of offered digital content by those of the communication devices that are to receive the desired piece of offered digital content,

the information managing means updating, when the registration information has been updated based on updating information reflecting the current status of the information provider, the choices-window information on the basis of the updated registration information, wherein the choices-window information includes information indicative of whether the communication device that is the information provider can currently provide the offered digital content in real time, and

wherein the communication controlling means controls the connection between the communication device that receives the desired piece of offered digital content and the communication device that is the information provider, with the desired piece of offered digital content being provided in real time when it is indicated as currently available in real time.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information managing means generates the choices-window information from which selection is available only for digital content that can currently be provided in real time.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the updating information includes types of more than one media which can be used for the real-time provision of the offered digital content.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the information managing means receives the registered information and registers it into the information registering means; and

the communication device receives the updating information and updates the registered information.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the communication controlling means receives the updating information from the communication device which provides the digital content in real time.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the digital content is video content.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the digital content is audio content.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication devices are voice over internet protocol devices, and wherein when selection is made of a desired one of the plurality of pieces of offered digital content, the communication controlling means establishes a session between the communication device that receives the desired piece of offered digital content and the communication device that is the information provider to accommodate providing the offered digital content in real time.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the communication controlling means establishes the session between the communication devices without requiring user input of connection addresses from the respective communication devices.

10. A service managing method of managing an information transmission service in which digital content is sent in real time between communication devices connected to each other over a network, the method comprising:

an information managing step in which, referring to an information registering means in which information on more than one piece of offered digital content available from those of the communication devices that are registered as an information provider is maintained as registration information, there is dynamically generated choices-window information from which selection is made of a desired one of the plurality of pieces of offered digital content by those of the communication devices that are to receive the desired piece of offered digital content,

an information updating step of updating, when the registration information has been updated based on updating information reflecting the current status of the information provider, the choices-window information on the basis of the updated registration information, wherein the choices-window information includes information indicative of whether the communication device that is the information provider can currently provide the offered digital content in real time, and

a controlling step of controlling the connection between the communication device that receives the desired piece of offered digital content and the communication device that is the information provider, with the desired piece of offered digital content being provided in real time when it is indicated as currently available in real time.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein in the information managing step, there is generated the choices-window information from which selection is available only for digital content that can currently be provided in real time.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the updating information includes types of more than one media which can be used for the real-time provision of the offered digital content.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein in the information updating step, the choices-window information is updated based on the registered information updated with the updating information received from the communication device which provides the offered digital content in real time.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the digital content is video content.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the digital content is audio content.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the communication devices are voice over internet protocol devices, and wherein when selection is made of a desired one of the plurality of pieces of offered digital content, the controlling step establishes a session between the communication device that receives the desired piece of offered digital content and the communication device that is the information provider to accommodate providing the offered digital content in real time.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the session is established between the communication devices without requiring user input of connection addresses from the respective communication devices.

18. A service providing system which provides an information transmission service in which digital content is sent in real time between communication devices connected to each other over a network, the system comprising:

a plurality of communication devices to provide or receive offered digital content to be provided by an information provider or to be used by an information user, respectively, each as a user of the information transmission service,

each of the communication devices including a communication means for sending or receiving offered digital content to or from the other communication device as a counterpart; and

a service management device connected to each of the communication devices via a network to manage the information transmission service,

the service management device including;

a communication controlling means for controlling the communication with each of the communication devices;

an information registering means for maintaining registration information on more than one piece of digital content available from those of the communication devices that are registered as information providers; and

an information managing means for dynamically generating, based on the registration information, choices-window information from which selection is made of a desired one of the plurality of pieces of offered digital content by those of the communication devices that are to receive the desired piece of offered digital content,

the information managing means updating, when the registration information has been updated based on updating information reflecting the current status of the information provider, the choices-window information on the basis of the updated registration information, wherein the choices-window information includes information indicative of whether the communication device that is the information provider can currently provide the offered digital content in real time, and

wherein the communication controlling means controls the connection between the communication device that receives the desired piece of offered digital content and the communication device that is the information provider, with the desired piece of offered digital content being provided in real time when it is indicated as currently available in real time.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein:

the communication controlling means updates the information registering means when the information user has been authenticated with the user identification information.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein:

the updating information includes media information indicative of the type of a media which can be used by the communication device to send the offered digital content when providing the offered digital content; and

the communication controlling means updates the information registering means with the information indicative of whether the information provider can currently provide the offered digital content and media information included in the updating information.

21. The system according to claim 18, wherein:

the updating information includes information indicative of the position of the communication device which sends the offered digital content; and

the communication controlling means controls, based on the position information, the connection between the communication device that receives the desired piece of offered digital content and the communication device that is the information provider.

22. The system according to claim 18, wherein:

the communication controlling means includes a call controlling means for sending and receiving a connection control signal for establishing the connection between the communication device that receives the desired piece of offered digital content and the communication device that is the information provider; and

the connection controlling means receives the connection control signal from the call controlling means in the communication device and controls the connection between both the communication devices.

23. The system according to claim 18, wherein the digital content is video content.

24. The system according to claim 18, wherein the digital content is audio content.

25. The system according to claim 18, wherein the communication devices are voice over interne protocol devices, and wherein when selection is made of a desired one of the plurality of pieces of offered digital content, the communication controlling means establishes a session between the communication device that receives the desired piece of offered digital content and the communication device that is the information provider to accommodate providing the offered digital content in real time.

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein the communication controlling means establishes the session between the communication devices without requiring user input of connection addresses from the respective communication devices.

27. A service providing method for a service providing system including a plurality of communication devices to send or receive offered digital content to be provided by an information provider or to be used by an information user, respectively, each as a user of the information transmission service in which information is sent from one of communication devices connected to each other over a network to the other, and vice versa, in real time, and a service management device connected to each of the communication devices via the network to manage the information transmission service, the method comprising:

an information registering step in which information on more than one piece of offered digital content available from those of the communication devices that are registered as information providers is maintained as registration information into an information registering means of the service management device;

an information managing step in which, referring to an information registering means of the information management device in the service management device, there is dynamically generated choices-window information from which an information user of the offered digital content selects a desired one of the plurality of pieces of offered digital content for the communication device that is to receive the desired piece of offered digital content;

a registered information updating step of updating the registration information on the basis of updating information reflecting the current status of the information provider;

a choices-window information updating step in which an information management means updates, when the information registering means has been updated based on the updating information, the choices-window information on the basis of the updated registration information, wherein the choices-window information includes information indicative of whether the communication device that is the information provider can currently provide the offered digital content in real time; and

a controlling step of controlling the connection between the communication device that receives the desired piece of offered digital content and the communication device that is the information provider, with the desired piece of offered digital content being provided in real time when it is indicated as currently available in real time.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein:

the updating information includes information indicative of the type of a media which can be used when providing the offered digital content; and

in the choices-window information updating step, the choices-window information is made to reflect the information indicative of whether the information provider can currently provide the offered digital content in real time and media information included in the updating information.

29. The method according to claim 27, wherein:

the updating information is indicative of the position of the communication device which sends the offered digital content; and

in the controlling step, there is controlled, based on the position information, the connection between the communication device which sends the selected offered digital content and that which has selected the desired offered digital content.

30. The method according to claim 27, wherein the digital content is video content.

31. The method according to claim 27, wherein the digital content is audio content.