System, server, and device for providing contents

• US 8,447,973 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2006
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Ohara, Kiyotaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Arani, Taghi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jeudy, Josnel
• Application Number:
  US11/341,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20060170965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,668 Days
• Field of Search: 713189-194, 713/164, 713/165, 713167-168, 709/203, 709/225, 380/277, 715241-243, 726 27- 30
• US Class Current: 713/165
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00915 Assigning priority to, or interrupting, a particular operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0015 Control of image communication with the connected apparatus, e.g. signalling capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

According to an aspect of the invention, a content providing system is provided that includes a client device configured to receive contents and a server connected to the client device that provides contents to the client device. The client device may instruct the server to suspend the providing of contents, instruct the server how to handle unoffered contents after it instructs the server to suspend the providing of contents, and subsequently instruct the server lo restart the providing of contents. When the server is instructed to suspend the providing of contents by the client device, the server may be instructed by the client device to handle the unoffered contents by sequentially accumulating those contents. The server also may be instructed to discard one of the accumulated contents or to provide one of the accumulated contents to the client device.

Claims

1. A content providing system, comprising:

a client device configured to receive contents, the client device comprising a first central processing unit configured to execute computer program instructions to provide a plurality of first units, the plurality of first units comprising;

a suspend instruction issuing unit that is configured to instruct a server to suspend a providing of contents;

a handling way designation unit that is configured to accept an accumulate instruction and to instruct the server to sequentially accumulate the contents not provided from the server after the suspend instruction issuing unit instructs the server to suspend providing contents; and

a restart instruction issuing unit that is configured to notify the server of a restart time for restarting the providing of contents after the suspend instruction issuing unit instructs the server to suspend the providing of contents,

wherein the handling way designation unit is further configured to accept separate handling instructions for each of the accumulated contents and to instruct the server to process each of the accumulated contents in accordance with the separate handling instructions, the separate handling instructions including a discard instruction that instructs the server to discard a corresponding one of the accumulated contents and a provide instruction that instructs the server to provide a corresponding one of the accumulated contents to the client device; and

a server configured to provide contents to the client device, the server comprising a second central processing unit configured to execute computer program instructions to provide a plurality of second units, the plurality of second units comprising;

a content providing unit that is configured to provide contents to the client device;

a suspending unit that is configured to suspend the providing of contents by the content providing unit if the server is instructed to suspend the providing of contents by the suspend instruction issuing unit of the client device;

a restart unit that is configured to control the content providing unit to restart the providing of contents after the providing of contents is suspended by the suspending unit when the restart instruction issuing unit notifies the server of the restart time and a current time reaches the restart time; and

a notification processing unit that is configured to process the accumulated contents in accordance with the separate handling instructions provided by the handling way notification unit of the client device.

2. The content providing system according to claim 1, wherein the handling way designation unit provides the server with the accumulate instruction when the suspend instruction issuing unit instructs the server to suspend the providing of contents.

3. The content providing system according to claim 1, wherein the handling way designation unit provides the server with the separate handling instructions when the restart instruction issuing unit instructs the server to restart the providing of contents.

4. The content providing system according to claim 1, wherein the client device comprises a printing unit that prints the contents provided by the server on a recording medium.

5. The content providing system according to claim 1, wherein the suspend instruction issuing unit is configured to accept a suspend instruction, and to instruct the server to suspend the providing of contents when the suspend instruction is inputted.

6. The content providing system according to claim 1, wherein the restart instruction issuing unit is configured to accept an input of a restart instruction, and to instruct the server to restart the providing of contents when the restart instruction is inputted.

7. The content providing system according to claim 1, wherein the providing of contents from the server to the client device is performed continuously.

12. The content providing system according to claim 1, wherein the handling way designation unit is further configured to accept a discard all instruction and a provide all instruction and to instruct the server to process all of the accumulated contents in accordance with each of those instructions, the discard all instruction instructing the server to discard all of the accumulated contents and the provide all instruction instructing the server to provide all of the accumulated contents to the client device.

14. The content providing system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first units further comprise:

a list request issuing unit that is configured to instruct the server to generate a list of the accumulated contents, and

a display unit for displaying the list at the client device; and

the handling way designation unit is further configured to accept one of the different handling instructions for each of the accumulated contents displayed in the list.

16. The content providing system according to claim 1, wherein the client device is configured to receive non-sequential accumulated contents from the server when the handling way designation unit accepts the discard instruction for one or more accumulated contents in a sequence and a provide instruction for one or more other accumulated contents in that sequence.

18. The content providing system according to claim 1, wherein

the content relates to news items;

the server is configured to provide the news items to the client device periodically in accordance with a predetermined schedule as part of a subscription service; and

the client device includes a printing unit that is configured print the news items on a recording medium when the news items are received from the server, such that suspending the providing of contents from the server suspends the printing of the news items.

8. A client device that is configured to receive contents from a server, the client device comprising:

a printing unit that is configured to print the contents provided by the server on a recording medium;

a central processing unit configured to execute computer program instructions to provide a plurality of other units, the plurality of other units comprise;

a suspend instruction issuing unit that is configured to accept a suspend instruction and to instruct the server to suspend the providing of contents when the suspend command is inputted;

a handling way designation unit that is configured to accept an accumulate instruction and to instruct the server to sequentially accumulate the contents not provided from the server after the suspend instruction issuing unit instructs the server to suspend providing contents; and

a restart instruction issuing unit that is configured to accept a restart instruction and to notify the server to of a restart time for restarting, the providing of contents when the restart instruction is inputted after the suspend instruction issuing unit instructs the server to suspend the providing of contents,

wherein the server is configured to restart the providing of contents after the providing of contents is suspended in response to the instruction from the suspend instruction issuing unit when the restart instruction issuing unit notifies the server of the restart time and a current time reaches the restart time, and

wherein the handling way designation unit is further configured to accept separate handling instructions for each of the accumulated contents and to instruct the server to process each of the accumulated contents in accordance with the separate handling instructions, the separate handling instructions including a discard instruction that instructs the server to discard a corresponding one of the accumulated contents and a provide instruction that instructs the server to provide a corresponding one of the accumulated contents to the client device.

13. The client device according to claim 8, wherein the handling way designation unit is further configured to accept a discard all instruction and a provide all instruction and to instruct the server to process all of the accumulated contents in accordance with each of those instructions, the discard all instruction instructing the server to discard all of the accumulated contents and the provide all instruction instructing the server to provide all of the accumulated contents to the client device.

15. The client device according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of units further comprise:

a list request issuing unit that is configured to instruct the server to generate a list of the accumulated contents; and

a display unit for displaying the list at the client device,

wherein the handling way designation unit is further configured to accept one of the different handling instructions for each of the accumulated contents displayed in the list.

17. The client device according to claim 8, wherein the client device is configured to receive non-sequential accumulated contents from the server when the handling way designation unit accepts the discard instruction for one or more accumulated contents in a sequence and a provide instruction for one or more other accumulated contents in that sequence.

19. The client device according to claim 8, wherein

the content relates to news items;

the server is configured to provide the news items to the client device periodically in accordance with a predetermined schedule as part of a subscription service; and

the printing unit is configured to print the news items on a recording medium when the news items are received from the server, such that suspending the providing of contents from the server suspends the printing of the news items.

9. A server that is configured to provide contents to a client device, the server comprising:

a central processing unit configured to execute computer program instructions to provide a plurality of units, wherein the plurality of units comprise;

a content providing unit that is configured to provide the contents to the client device;

a suspending unit that is configured to suspend the providing of contents by the content providing unit if the server is instructed to suspend the providing of contents by the client device and to sequentially accumulate the contents not provided by the content providing unit if the server is instructed to accumulate contents by the client device;

a restart unit that is configured to restart the providing of contents by the content providing unit after the providing of contents is suspended by the suspending unit when the client device notifies the server of a restart time at which to restart the providing of contents and a current time reaches the restart time; and

a notification processing unit that is configured to process each of the accumulated contents in accordance with separate handling instructions, the separate handling instructions including a discard instruction that instructs the server to discard a corresponding one of the accumulated contents and a provide instruction that instructs the server to provide a corresponding one of the accumulated contents to the client device.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer program instructions that cause a client device to:

print contents provided by a server on a recording medium with a printing device;

instruct the server to suspend the providing of contents to the client device when an operation for suspending the providing of contents is accepted;

instruct the server to sequentially accumulate the contents not provided from the server after the client device instructs the server to suspend the providing of contents;

notify the server of a restart time at which to restart the providing of contents when an operation for restarting the providing of contents is accepted after the server is instructed to suspend the providing of contents; and

provide separate handling instructions to the server for processing at least two of the accumulated contents, the separate handling instructions including a discard instruction that instructs the server to discard a corresponding one of the accumulated contents and a provide instruction that instructs the server to provide a corresponding one of the accumulated contents to the client device,

wherein the server is configured to restart the providing of contents after the providing of contents is suspended in response to the instruction to suspend the providing of contents to the client device when the restart instruction issuing unit notifies the server of the restart time and a current time reaches the restart time.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer program instructions that cause a server to:

provide contents to a client device;

suspend the providing of contents if the server is instructed to suspend the providing of contents by the client device;

sequentially accumulate the contents not provided to the client device after the server is instructed to suspend the providing of contents;

restart the providing of contents after the providing of contents is suspended when the client device notifies the server of a restart time at which to restart the providing of contents and a current time reaches the restart time; and

process at least two of the accumulated contents in accordance with separate handling instructions provided by the client device, the separate handling instructions including a discard instructions that instructs the server to discard a corresponding one of the accumulated contents to the client device.