Content providing system, information processing apparatus, information processing method, and computer program

• US 8,316,082 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2007
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Igarashi, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Mirza, Adnan
• Application Number:
  US12/281,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20090307307A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,085 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• 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 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 Unicasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A configuration is provided in which a client in a home network receives content from a server outside the home network and plays the content. A home IMS gateway maps an external server outside the home network as a virtual home network device, and executes a process of receiving a content providing service provided by the external server by using mapping information. Furthermore, device information of the client is obtained and registered in a database existing outside the home network, and a content providing server executes a process of obtaining the device information and providing the client with content matching the device.

Claims

1. A content providing system comprising:

a content providing server having a first communication protocol; and

a content receiving client having a second communication protocol,

wherein the content receiving client includes;

a communication unit that executes a communication process via a home network; and

a data processing unit that executes a process of receiving a content providing service provided by the content providing server existing outside the home network by using mapping information in which the content providing server is set as a virtual home network device,

the data processing unit is configured to;

execute a process of obtaining device information of the client and obtaining user profile information comprising a user identification and user preferences, and registering the device information and the user profile information in a database existing outside the home network, and

execute communication between the content providing server and the content receiving client by performing a conversion between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol, and

the content providing server is configured to;

execute a process of obtaining the device information of the content receiving client and obtaining the user profile information, registered in the database, and providing the content receiving client with content matching the device and the user profile information.

2. The content providing system according to claim 1, characterized in that:

the device information includes;

device information regarding at least one of a screen size, a screen resolution, a size of available memory, and a supported codec type of the client, and

the content providing server is configured to;

execute a process of obtaining the device information and providing the client with content that can be played by the device.

3. The content providing system according to claim 1, characterized in that:

the data processing unit of the content receiving client is configured to;

execute a process of sending the device information of the client to a home subscriber subsystem (HSS) defined in an IP multimedia system (IMS) and registering the device information, and

the content providing server is configured to;

execute a process of obtaining the device information of the client, registered in the home subscriber subsystem (HSS) , and providing the client with content matching the device.

4. An information processing apparatus characterized by comprising:

a communication unit that executes a communication process via a home network; and

a data processing unit that executes a process of receiving a content providing service provided by an external server, having a first communication protocol and existing outside the home network having a second communication protocol, by using mapping information in which the external server is set as a virtual home network device,

and characterized in that the data processing unit is configured to;

execute a process of obtaining device information of the information processing apparatus and obtaining user profile information comprising a user identification and user preferences, and registering the device information and the user profile information in a database existing outside the home network, and

execute communication between the external server and the home network by performing a conversion between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that:

the data processing unit is configured to;

execute a process of obtaining device information regarding at least one of a screen size, a screen resolution, a size of available memory, and a supported codec type of the information processing apparatus, and registering the device information in the database existing outside the home network.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that:

the data processing unit is configured to;

execute a process of sending the device information of the information processing apparatus to a home subscriber subsystem (HSS) defined in an IP multimedia system (IMS) and registering the device information.

7. An information processing method executed in a content providing system including a content providing server having a first communication protocol and a content receiving client having a second communication protocol, characterized in that:

the content receiving client executes;

a communication step in which a communication unit executes a communication process via a home network;

a content receiving step in which a data processing unit executes a process of receiving content provided by the content providing server existing outside the home network by using mapping information in which the content providing server is set as a virtual home network device; and

a device information registering step in which the data processing unit executes a process of obtaining device information of the client and obtaining user profile information comprising a user identification and user preferences, and registering the device information and the user profile information in a database existing outside the home network, and

the content providing server executes a process of obtaining the device information of the client and obtaining the user profile information, registered in the database, and providing the client with content matching the device and the user profile information, and executes a process of communication with the content receiving client by performing a conversion between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol.

8. The information processing method according to claim 7, characterized in that:

the device information includes;

device information regarding at least one of a screen size, a screen resolution, a size of available memory, and a supported codec type of the client, and

the content providing server executes a process of obtaining the device information and providing the client with content that can be played by the device.

9. The information processing method according to claim 7, characterized in that:

the data processing unit of the content receiving client executes a process of sending the device information of the client to a home subscriber subsystem (HSS) defined in an IP multimedia system (IMS) and registering the device information, and

the content providing server executes a process of obtaining the device information of the client, registered in the home subscriber subsystem (HSS), and providing the client with content matching the device.

10. An information processing method executed at an information processing apparatus, characterized by executing:

a communication step in which a communication unit executes a communication process via a home network;

a content receiving step in which a data processing unit executes a process of receiving content provided by an external server having a first communication protocol and existing outside the home network having a second communication protocol, by using mapping information in which the external server is set as a virtual home network device and executes a process of communication between the external server and the home network by performing a conversion between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol; and

a device information registering step in which the data processing unit executes a process of obtaining device information of the information processing apparatus and obtaining user profile information comprising a user identification and user preferences, and registering the device information in a database existing outside the home network.

11. The information processing method according to claim 10, characterized in that:

the device information registering step is;

a step of executing a process of obtaining device information regarding at least one of a screen size, a screen resolution, a size of available memory, and a supported codec type of the information processing apparatus, and registering the device information in the database existing outside the home network.

12. The information processing method according to claim 10, characterized in that:

the device information registering step is;

a step of executing a process of sending the device information of the information processing apparatus to a home subscriber subsystem (HSS) defined in an IP multimedia system (IMS) and registering the device information.

13. A computer program for causing execution of information processing, executed at an information processing apparatus, characterized by causing execution of:

a communication step of causing a communication unit to execute a communication process via a home network;

a content receiving step of causing a data processing unit to execute a process of receiving content provided by an external server, having a first communication protocol and existing outside the home network having a second communication protocol, by using mapping information in which the external server is set as a virtual home network device; and

a device information registering step of causing the data processing unit to execute a process of obtaining device information of the information processing apparatus and obtaining user profile information comprising a user identification and user preferences, and registering the device information in a database existing outside the home network, and execute a process of communication between the external server and the home network by performing a conversion between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol.