Apparatus and associated methodology for automatically selecting content using stored criteria

• US 8,849,839 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2010
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kojima, Kiyonobu, Shiroma, Shin, Morita, Toshihiro, Hatanaka, Mitsuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): KINSAUL, DANIEL W
• Application Number:
  US12/955,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20110072057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/754
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 15/02 Synthesis of acoustic waves synthesis of speech G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00746 wherein the usage restriction can be expressed as a specific number
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/61 wherein solid state memory is used for storing A/V content
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

In an information processor which records many contents or has many contents already recorded therein, and can generate an arbitrary combination of the contents, a weight is computed for each of the contents based on either data stored in a history data file (184) or data stored in a display data file (182) and data stored in a filtering data file (181), and a content is selected from the contents stored in a content file (161) based on the weight. The selected content is related with a package corresponding to the data stored in the filtering data file (181).

Claims

1. An information processor comprising:

circuitry configured to

record content-identifying information to identify content information for playing content, the content information identified by the content-identifying information being downloaded from a music distribution server;

manage the content-identifying information and the content information recorded;

set criteria data for selecting predetermined content information and store the criteria data;

select content information using the criteria data stored and history data of the content information, the content information selected being selected from the content information recorded;

register a combination of the content-identifying information corresponding to the content information selected in association with a package identified by package-identifying information corresponding to the criteria data set; and

make a first region of a display device display more than one package-identifying information of packages registered, simultaneously with display of the more than one package-identifying information in the first region, make a second region of the display device display the content-identifying information corresponding to a package-identifying information selected on the first region, and make a third region of the display device display a package image associated with the package-identifying information selected on the first region,

wherein the first region, the second region and the third region do not overlap, and the history data indicates a number of times the content information has been accessed and a time at which the content information has been accessed.

2. The information processor according to claim 1, wherein the content-identifying information is displayed in order of a number of times the content information has been accessed according to the history data.

3. The information processor according to claim 2, wherein in the history data the time at which the content information has been accessed is stored as a time stamp.

4. The information processor according to claim 1, wherein the history data is downloaded from a predetermined server.

5. The information processor according to claim 1, wherein the history data is stored on a non-transitory storage media.

6. The information processor according to claim 1, wherein the criteria data and the history data are stored in a filtering file, and the circuitry sets the criteria data by updating the filtering file.

7. The information processor according to claim 6, wherein the filtering data file includes data for weighting the content information, and the circuitry further selects a predetermined number of content information based on the weights.

8. The information processor according to claim 6, wherein the circuitry further causes the display device to display a button that applies the filtering file upon activation thereof.

9. The information processor according to claim 1, wherein the content information is encrypted and stored in correspondence with a usage rule data, and the circuitry is further configured to transfer the content information to another device, and update the usage rule accordingly.

10. The information processor according to claim 1, wherein the first and second regions of the display device are arranged below the third region.

11. The information processor according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the package-identifying information, the content-identifying information and the package image are received from a predetermined server.

12. The information processor according to claim 1, wherein the package-identifying information includes a name of the corresponding package and a name of an artist associated with the corresponding package.

13. The information processor according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry further causes the display device to display a fourth region including content-identifying information corresponding to user-selected content information, the content-identifying information in the fourth region being registered to package-identifying information independent of the package-identifying information in the first region.

14. The information processor according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry further causes the display device to display controls to cause reproduction of a selected content information.

15. The information processor according to claim 14, wherein the controls include at least a play button, a shuffle mode button and a repeat button.

16. An information processing method, comprising:

recording, with circuitry, content-identifying information to identify content information for playing content, the content information identified by the content-identifying information being downloaded from a music distribution server;

managing the content-identifying information and the content information recorded;

setting criteria data for selecting predetermined content information and store the criteria data;

selecting content information using the criteria data stored and history data of the content information, the content information selected being selected from the content information recorded;

registering a combination of the content-identifying information corresponding to the content information selected in association with a package identified by package-identifying information corresponding to the criteria data set;

making a first region of a display device display more than one package-identifying information of packages registered, simultaneously with display of the more than one package-identifying information in the first region, make a second region of the display device display the content-identifying information corresponding to a package-identifying information selected on the first region, and make a third region of the display device display a package image associated with the package-identifying information selected on the first region,

wherein the first region, the second region and the third region do not overlap, and the history data indicates a number of times the content information has been accessed and a time at which the content information has been accessed.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with computer-readable instructions thereon, the computer-readable instruction when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

recording content-identifying information to identify content information for playing content, the content information identified by the content-identifying information being downloaded from a music distribution server;

managing the content-identifying information and the content information recorded;

setting criteria data for selecting predetermined content information and store the criteria data;

selecting content information using the criteria data stored and history data of the content information, the content information selected being selected from the content information recorded;

registering a combination of the content-identifying information corresponding to the content information selected in association with a package identified by package-identifying information corresponding to the criteria data set;

making a first region of a display device display more than one package-identifying information of packages registered, simultaneously with display of the more than one package-identifying information in the first region, make a second region of the display device display the content-identifying information corresponding to a package-identifying information selected on the first region, and make a third region of the display device display a package image associated with the package-identifying information selected on the first region,

wherein the first region, the second region and the third region do not overlap, and the history data indicates a number of times the content information has been accessed and a time at which the content information has been accessed.