Service providing apparatus and method, and information processing apparatus storage medium

• US 8,626,938 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2005
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Noma, Tsunetake
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Assistant Examiner(s): DESAI, MARGISHI V
• Application Number:
  US11/302,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20060095512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,946 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/201, 709/204, 709/205, 709/218, 705/26, 705/51, 705/26.1, 713/200
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

The invention provides a service providing apparatus and method and an information processing apparatus and method as well as a program storage medium by which a plurality of users can communicate with each other simultaneously. A plurality of client computers are connected to a shared server over a network and log in a common chat room of a chat system. If a user of one of those of the client computers which are in a group requests for reproduction of a predetermined tune, then the instruction is transmitted to the shared server over the network. The shared server receives the instruction transmitted thereto and reads out music data of the request stored in a music database therein, and transmits the music data to the client computers of the group.

Claims

1. A content data sharing system having a plurality of devices operably linked to a network, each device comprising:

a storage unit configured to store shared tunes and tune data corresponding to each of the available tunes, the tune data including a title, an artist name and an updating date;

a communication unit configured

to transmit an item list of the shared tunes to one of other devices determined as being currently connected to the network and eligible for tunes sharing, and

to receive a request for the shared tunes that selects an item from the item list of the shared tunes from the one of the other devices; and

a control unit, implemented by a central processing unit and configured to control said communication unit to directly stream the shared tunes requested from the one of the other devices in direct response to receiving the request for the shared tunes from the one of the other devices;

wherein

said communication unit is configured

to receive an other item list of the shared tunes from one of the other devices,

to transmit the request for the shared tunes corresponding to an item selected from the other item list of the shared tunes to one of the other devices, and

to receive the shared tunes directly streamed from one of the other devices,

wherein each device of the plurality of devices further comprises a display unit configured to display the other item list of the shared tunes and a device list of the other devices determined as being currently connected to the network and eligible for tunes sharing,

wherein each device of the plurality of devices further comprises a reproducing control unit configured to control reproducing of the shared tunes while the communication unit is receiving the shared tunes, and

wherein the eligible other devices belong to a predetermined group operably linked to the network.

2. The content data sharing system according to claim 1, wherein

the communication unit transmits the item list of the shared tunes to the one of the other devices when the password provided by the one of the other devices is correct.

9. The content data sharing system according to claim 1, wherein, when the one of the eligible other devices requests shared tunes corresponding to an item selected from the item list of shared tunes, the communication unit simultaneously streams the shared tunes to each of the eligible other devices.

10. The content data sharing system according to claim 1, wherein

the devices each further comprises:

an operation unit configured to select the device in the device list based on a user input.

11. The content data sharing system according to claim 1, wherein

the display updates the device list when another eligible device connects to the network.

13. The content data sharing system according to claim 1, wherein each device actively sets to share tunes in the device list.

14. The content data sharing system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays a title of the reproduced streaming tunes.

28. The content data sharing system according to claim 1, wherein

the item list of the shared tunes includes each item of shared tunes available for direct streaming from the device.

3. A non-transitory computer-readable program storage medium including computer program instructions that cause a device to implement a method of sharing tunes between a plurality of devices connected via a network, the method comprising:

storing, at a server, shared tunes and tune data corresponding to each of the available tunes, the tune data including a title, an artist name and an updating date;

displaying an item list of the shared tunes and a device list of other devices determined as being currently connected to the network and eligible for tunes sharing;

transmitting the item list of shared tunes from the server to one of the other devices determined as being currently connected to the network and eligible for tunes sharing;

receiving request for the shared tunes that selects an item from the item list of the shared tunes from the one of the eligible other devices; and

directly providing the shared tunes from the server to the one of the eligible other devices in direct response to receiving the request for the shared tunes from the one of the eligible other devices,

wherein the plurality of devices belong to a predetermined group operably linked to the network.

4. The non-transitory computer readable program storage medium according to claim 3, further comprising:

judging whether authentication information provided by the one of the eligible other devices is acceptable.

15. The non-transitory computer readable program storage medium according to claim 3, wherein the displaying further displays a title of the reproduced streaming tunes.

16. The non-transitory computer readable program storage medium according to claim 3, wherein in the transmitting the item list of the shared tunes is transmitted to the one of the eligible other devices when a password provided by the one of the eligible other devices is correct.

17. The non-transitory computer readable program storage medium according to claim 3, wherein the transmitting is performed in response to a selection of the server by the one of the eligible other devices based on a user input.

18. The non-transitory computer readable program storage medium according to claim 3, further comprising updating the device list when another eligible device connects to the network.

5. A portable device for sharing multi-media tunes with other devices connected via a network comprising:

a storage unit configured to store shared tunes and tune data corresponding to each of the available tunes, the tune data including a title, an artist name and an updating date;

a display unit configured to display an item list of the shared tunes and a device list of the other devices determined as being currently connected to the network and eligible for tunes sharing;

a communication unit configured

to transmit the item list of the shared tunes to one of the other devices determined as being currently connected to the network and eligible for tunes sharing, and

to receive a request for the shared tunes that selects an item from the item list of the shared tunes from the one of the eligible other devices; and

a control unit, implemented by a central processing unit and configured to control said communication unit to directly stream the shared tunes to the one of the eligible other devices in direct response to receiving the request for the shared tunes from the one of the eligible other devices,

wherein the portable device and the eligible other devices both belong to a predetermined group operably linked to the network.

6. The portable device according to claim 5, wherein

said control unit judges whether a password provided by the one of the eligible other devices is correct;

wherein the communication unit transmits the item list of the shared tunes to the one of the eligible other devices when the password is correct.

7. The portable device according to claim 5, further comprising:

a reproducing control unit configured to control reproduction of the shared tunes.

19. The portable device according to claim 5, wherein the display unit displays a title of the reproduced streaming tunes.

20. The portable device according to claim 5, wherein the display unit displays, in an information list, information about the eligible other devices currently connected to the network.

21. The portable device according to claim 5, wherein the communication unit transmits the item list of the shared tunes to the one of the eligible other devices when a password provided by the one of the eligible other devices is correct.

22. The portable device according to claim 5, wherein the communication unit transmits the item list in response to a selection of the portable device by the one of the eligible other devices based on a user input.

23. The portable device according to claim 5, wherein the display unit updates the device list when another eligible other device connects to the network.

8. A portable device for sharing multi-media tunes with other devices connected via a network comprising:

a memory configured to store shared tunes and tune data corresponding to each of the available tunes, the tune data including a title, an artist name and an updating date;

means for displaying an item list of the shared tunes and a device list of the other devices determined as being currently connected to the network and eligible for tunes sharing;

means for transmitting the item list of the shared tunes to one of the eligible other devices;

means for receiving a request for the shared tunes that selects an item from the item list of the shared tunes from the one of the eligible other devices; and

means for directly streaming the shared tunes requested from the one of the eligible other devices to the one of the eligible other devices in direct response to receiving the request for the shared tunes from the one of the eligible other devices,

wherein the portable device and the eligible other devices both belong to a predetermined group operably linked to the network.

12. An eligible device connected to a server, the eligible device comprising:

a storage unit configured to store shared tunes and tune data corresponding to each of the available tunes, the tune data including a title, an artist name and an updating date;

a communication unit configured

to receive an item list of shared tunes from the server;

to transmit a request for the shared tunes that selects an item from the item list to the server, and

to receive the shared tunes streamed directly from the server, the shared tunes streamed directly from the server in direct response to the server receiving the request for the shared tunes; and

a display unit configured to display the item list of the shared tunes and a device list of the server determined as being currently connected to the network and eligible for tunes sharing;

a reproducing control unit, implemented by a central processing unit and configured to control reproducing of the shared tunes while the communication unit is receiving the shared tunes,

wherein the server and the eligible device both belong to a predetermined group operably linked to the network.

24. The eligible device according to claim 12, wherein the display unit displays a title of the reproduced streaming tunes.

25. The eligible device according to claim 12, wherein the communication unit receives the item list of the shared tunes when a password provided to the server is correct.

26. The eligible device according to claim 12, wherein the communication unit selects the server based on a user input.

27. The eligible device according to claim 12, wherein the display unit updates the device list when another eligible other device connects to the network.