System, method and apparatus enabling exchange of list of content data items

• US 8,433,754 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2007
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsuda, Masafumi, Tange, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): STRANGE, AARON N
• Application Number:
  US11/714,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20070168360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,246 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/217, 709/227, 370/360, 455/3.01, 455/41, 455/436, 455/41.2, 455/418, 601/46, 713/176, 846/09, 846/00, 707/10, 707/5, 705/10, 705/26.7, 705/347
• US Class Current: 709/204
• 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 16/635 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• 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 16/687 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A data processing apparatus is disclosed which includes a reproducing element for reproducing each of a plurality of content data items, a reproduction status detecting element for detecting status of each content data item being reproduced by the reproducing element, a selecting element for selecting the content data item being reproduced by the reproducing element depending on the reproduction status of the content data item detected by the reproduction status detecting element a content identification data generating element for generating content identification data for identifying the content data item selected by the selecting element from the plurality of content data items, and a transmitting element for transmitting to a second data processing apparatus the content identification data generated by the content identification data generating element.

Claims

1. A portable terminal device operable to exchange a list of content data items wirelessly with plural other portable terminal devices, said portable terminal device comprising:

a communication unit configured to communicate via at least one wireless network with said plural other portable terminal devices, wherein said at least one wireless network does not include a dedicated server; and

a control unit configured to;

exchange, via the at least one wireless network, a list of content data items with each one of said plural other portable terminal devices, the exchange of a list of content data items with each said one other portable terminal device occurring when said one other portable terminal device is accessible via the at least one wireless network to said portable terminal device, said exchanging comprising said portable terminal device transferring a list identifying content data items indicated as being recommended by a user of the portable terminal device to said one other portable terminal device and receiving from said one other portable terminal device a list identifying content data items indicated as being recommended by a user of said one other portable terminal device;

generate a listing of individual recommended content data items included in lists received from said plural other portable terminal devices; and

increment a counter, for each individual recommended content data item included in the listing, indicating a number of lists received from said plural other portable terminal devices in which said individual recommended content data item was included.

2. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein said control unit starts to exchange the list of content data items with said other portable terminal device when said control unit detects that said other portable terminal device is accessible via the at least one wireless network.

3. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein said control unit exchanges lists of content data items with a plurality of other portable terminal devices accessible to said portable terminal device via the at least one wireless network.

4. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein said control unit exchanges the list of content data items and content data items with the other portable terminal device.

5. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein said control unit is operable to detect a third portable terminal device accessible to said other portable tenninal device via the at least one wireless network.

6. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein said control unit limits a number of hops to communicate with said other portable terminal device.

7. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein said control unit is operable to detect that said other portable terminal device is accessible to said portable terminal device via the at least one wireless network.

8. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein said content data item is a tune.

9. The portable terminal device according to claim 8, wherein said tune is an MP3 file.

10. The portable terminal device according to claim 8, further comprising a reproducing unit configured to reproduce a tune, and wherein said control unit controls said reproducing unit to reproduce a tune on said list of content data items, the tune having been received from said other portable terminal device.

11. A method of exchanging a list of content data items wirelessly, said method comprising steps of:

detecting, by a portable content data item exchanging device, that one of a plurality of portable devices is accessible via a wireless network, wherein the wireless network does not include a dedicated server;

exchanging, by the portable content data item exchanging device, a list of content data items with said one portable device via the wireless network, said exchanging comprising said portable content data exchanging device transferring a list identifying content data items indicated as being recommended by a user of said portable content data exchanging device to said one portable device and receiving from said one portable device a list identifying content data items indicated as being recommended by a user of said one portable device; and

employing, by the portable content data item exchanging device, the list received from said one portable device to update a listing of individual recommended content data items included in lists received by the portable content data item exchanging device from said plurality of portable devices, said updating comprising incrementing a counter for each individual recommended content data item, said counter indicating a number of lists received from said plurality of portable terminal devices in which the individual recommended content data item was included.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of exchanging starts when said portable content data item exchanging device detects that said one portable device is accessible via the wireless network.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said portable content data item exchanging device exchanges lists of content data items with each of said plurality of portable devices via at least one wireless network that comprises the wireless network over which said portable content data item exchanging device exchanges a list with said one portable device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said portable content data item exchanging device exchanges the list of content data items and content data items with said one portable device.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein said portable content data item exchanging device detects a second of said plurality of portable devices is accessible via the wireless network.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein said portable content data item exchanging device limits a number of hops to communicate with said one portable device.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein said content data item is a tune.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said tune is an MP3 file.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising steps of:

receiving, by said portable content data item exchanging device, a tune from said one portable device; and

reproducing, by said portable content data item exchanging device, said tune on said list of content data items.

20. A system wherein information is exchanged between devices in at least one ad-hoc network that does not include a dedicated server, said system comprising:

a plurality of portable devices, each portable device comprising;

a communication unit configured to communicate via the at least one ad-hoc network with each other portable device of the plurality of portable devices;

a control unit configured to;

transfer via the at least one ad-hoc network a list identifying content data items indicated as being recommended by a user of the portable device to each said other portable device, and receive from each said other portable device a list identifying content data items indicated as being recommended by a user of each said other portable device when each said other portable device is accessible via the at least one ad-hoc network;

generate a listing of individual recommended content data items included in lists received from each said other portable device; and

increment a counter, for each individual recommended content data item included in the listing, indicating a number of lists received from said plurality of portable devices in which said individual recommended content data item was included.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein said control unit is further configured to start exchanging the list of content data items with another of said plurality of portable devices when said control unit detects that the another portable device is accessible via the at least one ad-hoc network.

22. The system according to claim 20, wherein said control unit is further configured to exchange lists of content data items with each of said plurality of other portable devices via the at least one ad-hoc network.

23. The system according to claim 20, wherein said control unit limits a number of hops to communicate with each said other portable device.

24. The system according to claim 20, wherein said control unit is operable to detect that another of said plurality of portable devices is accessible via the at least one ad-hoc network.

25. The system according to claim 20, wherein said content data item is a tune.

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein said tune is an MP3 file.

27. The system according to claim 25, further comprising a reproducing unit configured to reproduce the tune, and wherein said control unit controls said reproducing unit to reproduce a tune included on a list of content data items received from another of said plurality of portable devices.