Apparatus capable of executing at least reproducing process on content, recording and reproducing system, and title information managing method

• US 8,818,161 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2008
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohno, Katsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Salehi, Helai
• Application Number:
  US12/140,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20080317435A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,262 Days
• Field of Search: 386/95, 386/125, 386/248
• US Class Current: 386/125
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/87 Regeneration of colour television signals H04N9/80 takes precedence

Abstract

According to one embodiment, there is provided an apparatus capable of executing at least a reproducing process on content. The apparatus includes a title information acquiring unit configured to acquire title information on content subjected at least to the reproducing process for each of content obtained via a network and content obtained from a removable recording medium, and a history holding unit configured to hold the title information acquired by the title information acquiring unit, as a history.

Claims

1. An apparatus configured to execute a reproducing process of a content, the apparatus comprising:

a title information acquiring module configured to acquire title information of the content that is to be subjected to the reproducing process from a source of the content, before the content is reproduced, wherein the content is received from at least two sources selected from the group consisting of a broadcasting wave, a network, and a removable recording medium;

a history holding module configured to hold the title information acquired by the title information acquiring module as part of a history; and

a control module configured to determine, when a content is to be acquired, whether or not the content to be acquired has already been reproduced, based on the history held by the history holding module, and to give notice of a determination result if the determination result indicates that the content to be acquired has already been reproduced.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein for the content received from the network, the title information acquiring module is configured to acquire title information via a server providing the content.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein for the content retrieved from the removable recording medium, the title information acquiring module is configured to acquire title information from the recording medium if the title information is recorded in the recording medium.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein for the content retrieved from the removable recording medium, the title information acquiring module is configured to acquire title information from a predetermined server via a network on the basis of information inherent in the content if the title information is not recorded in the recording medium.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the apparatus is capable of executing a recording process on the content received from broadcast signals.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control module configured to transmit a list of the title information contained in the history held in the history holding module to an external device in response to a predetermined command transmitted from the external device via the network.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control module configured to search the history using title information or a part of the title information transmitted from an external device via the network, and to return a search result to the external device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control module configured to cause a display of a screen which allows a user to specify whether or not to save title information as part of a history.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control module configured to cause a display of a screen which allows a user to modify the history.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the title information acquiring module is configured to acquire a second title information of a second content related to a first content, the second content retrieved separately from the first content, and

the history holding module is further configured to hold the title information of the second content.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control module configured to cause a display of a screen which allows a user to specify whether or not to acquire title information via a network.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control module configured to acquire title information from a predetermined server via a network and transmit the acquired title information to an external device when the external device transmits a predetermined command to the apparatus via a network.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the acquisition of the content comprises downloading of the content.

14. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein for the content received from the broadcast signals, the title information acquiring module is configured to acquire title information from an electronic program guide.

15. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a control module configured to search, when the content is either downloaded or programmed to be recorded, the history for title information on the content and to provide an indication to a user if the title information is present in the history.

16. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the history holding module is configured to hold title information of the content that has been subjected to the recording process in addition to title information of the content that has been subjected to the reproducing process.

17. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a control module configured to execute a predetermined authenticating process between the apparatus and the external device, and to permit the apparatus to provide information to the external device if the authentication succeeds.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a control module configured to cause a display of a message related to the title information of the second content or to notify a user of the title information via a network.

19. A title information managing method applied to an apparatus configured to execute a reproducing process of a content using a processor, the method comprising:

acquiring title information of the content to be subjected to the reproducing process from a source of the content, before the content is reproduced, wherein the content is received from at least two sources selected from the group consisting of a broadcasting wave, a network, and a removable recording medium;

holding the acquired title information as part of a history; and

determining, when a content is to be acquired, whether or not the content to be acquired has already been reproduced, based on the held history, and giving notice of a determination result if the determination result indicates that the content to be acquired has already been reproduced.

20. The title information managing method of claim 19, wherein the acquisition of the content comprises downloading of the content.