Communication system and its method and communication apparatus and its method

• US 8,291,134 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2011
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Data Scape Limited (Atlantic IP Services Limited)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Morohashi, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Chun-Kuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS-TAYLOR, DAYTON A.
• Application Number:
  US13/297,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20120059497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 335 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/33
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/213 Read-only discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2525 Magneto-optical [MO] discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2207/16 Solid state audio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 : Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 : for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 : for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand

Abstract

This invention relates to a communication system including a first apparatus having a first storage medium, and a second apparatus for transmitting data to the first apparatus, the second apparatus comprising: a second storage medium for storing management information of data to be transferred to the first storage medium; communication means for communicating data with the first apparatus; edit means capable of editing the management information; and control means for making a control to transfer data stored in the second storage medium to the first storage medium by way of the communication means on the basis of the management information edited by the edit means.

Claims

1. A transfer system comprising a storage apparatus and a playback apparatus, the storage apparatus including

a communication unit configured to communicate with the playback apparatus,

a storage unit configured to store a plurality of pieces of content data in a storage medium,

an editing unit configured to edit program lists in which content identifiers of the pieces of content data stored in the storage medium are registered, and to associate each of the plurality of program lists with corresponding apparatus identification information uniquely identifying the playback apparatus, and

a controller configured to control the communication unit to receive apparatus identification information uniquely identifying the playback apparatus, to extract a program list with which apparatus identification information that matches the received apparatus identification information is associated, and to cause content data that is not stored in the playback apparatus within content data corresponding to a content identifier included in the extracted program list to be transferred from the storage medium to the playback apparatus, and the controller configured to compare the program list with a list configured using a content identifier of the content data stored in an other storage medium of the playback apparatus, and to cause content data corresponding to a content identifier that is not included in the program list and that is included in the list to be deleted from the other storage medium, and

the playback apparatus including

a second communication unit configured to communicate with the storage apparatus, and

a second storage unit configured to store content data received via the second communication unit in another storage medium.

2. The transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the other storage medium is attachable to and detachable from the playback apparatus.

3. The transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls a communication unit to receive the apparatus identification information when it is determined that a playback apparatus has been connected.

4. The transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the controller compares a remaining allowable storage capacity of the other storage medium with an amount of data of the content data that is not stored, and interrupts the transfer control when the other storage medium is not capable of storing the content data that is not stored.

5. The transfer system according to claim 4, wherein the controller causes the program list together with the content data that is not stored to be transferred to the playback apparatus in the transfer control.

6. The transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the program list includes at least one of a title name, an artist name, a composer, a lyricist, and a jacket image corresponding to the content data.

7. The transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the content data is digital data compressed using MP3 format or ATRAC format.

8. A storage apparatus comprising:

a controller configured to communicate with a playback apparatus;

a storage unit configured to store a plurality of pieces of content data in a storage medium;

an editing unit configured to edit program lists in which content identifiers of the pieces of content data stored in the storage medium are registered, and to associate each of the plurality of program lists with corresponding apparatus identification information uniquely identifying the playback apparatus; and

a controller configured to control the communication unit to receive apparatus identification information uniquely identifying the playback apparatus, to extract a program list with which apparatus identification information that matches the received apparatus identification information is associated, and to cause content data that is not stored in the other storage medium within content data corresponding to a content identifier included in the extracted program list to be transferred from the storage medium to the playback apparatus, and the controller configured to compare the program list with a list configured using a content identifier of content data stored in the playback apparatus, and to cause content data corresponding to a content identifier that is not included in the program list and that is included in the list to be deleted from the playback apparatus.

9. The storage apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the controls the communication unit to receive apparatus identification information when it is determined that a playback apparatus has been connected.

10. The storage apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the controller compares a remaining allowable storage capacity of the playback apparatus with an amount of data of the content data that is not stored, and interrupts the transfer control when the playback apparatus is not capable of storing the content data that is not stored.

11. The storage apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controller causes the program list together with the content data that is not stored to be transferred to the playback apparatus in the transfer control.

12. The storage apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the program list includes at least one of a title name, an artist name, a composer, a lyricist, and a jacket image corresponding to the content data.

13. The storage apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the content data is digital data compressed using MP3 format or ATRAC format.