Reproducing apparatus, data processing method, and reproduction system

• US 9,064,543 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2006
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kinouchi, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Topgyal, Gelek W
• Application Number:
  US11/431,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20060269229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,330 Days
• Field of Search: 715740-741, 386/278
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42661 for reading from or writing on a magnetic storage medium, e.g. hard disk drive
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44231 Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4436 Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus

Abstract

A content data recording and reproducing apparatus including a content data output device, enabling the content to be reproduced to be determined while displaying a content list on an external output device, communicates with the output device, and controls the output device to output data. The apparatus has a data line configured to transfer data among connected parts, a recording part on which content data is recorded, a reproduction and output part configured to reproduce and outputting the content data transferred from the recording part, an interface for communicating with the output device, an operation part connected to the data line, a display configured to display operation screen data including attribute information of the content data, and a control part configured to transmit the content data read out from the recording part to the output device via the interface based on an instruction input from the operation part and suspend the display of the operation screen when communication with the output device is established.

Claims

1. A reproducing apparatus comprising:

a memory;

a processor;

a recording part for recording and transferring content data;

a reproduction part for reproducing the content data transferred from the recording part;

an output part for outputting the reproduced content data;

an interface for communicating with an external output device;

an operation part for receiving audio control signals to adjust the volume and or sound quality produced by the external output device, wherein the operation part receives the audio control signals from a user input remote controller device associated with the external output device, and the user input remote controller device comprises a touch panel interface configured to;

display one or more volume and or sound quality selection options,

receive input through the touch panel interface associated with the one or more of the volume and or sound quality selection options, and

the user input remote controller is configured to;

adjust the volume and or sound quality produced by the external output device by

adjusting the volume and or sound quality of an audio signal produced by the reproducing apparatus,

wherein one or more of the volume and or sound quality selection options is associated with the adjustment of the volume and or sound quality of an audio signal produced by the reproducing apparatus, the association is stored in the memory, and selection of one or more of the volume and or sound quality selection options associated with the volume and or sound quality of the external output device does not operate the volume and or sound quality produced by the external output device;

a display which displays operation screen data including volume and or sound quality information of the content data; and

a control part for transmitting the content data to the external output device via the interface based on the received control signals, controlling the volume and or sound quality properties of the content data output by the external output device based on the received audio control signals, and displaying the operation screen data on the external output device and suspending the display of the operation screen data onto the display, when communication with the external output device is established via the interface.

2. A reproducing apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the control part controls the output part to output the content data from the recording part based on an instruction input received by the operation part, when the processor determines that communication with the external output device has not been established.

3. A reproducing apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the control part transmits the operation screen data through the interface to the external output device when the processor determines that communication with the external output device has been established.

4. A reproducing apparatus as set forth in claim 3,

wherein the control part updates data relating to the operation screen data based on the instruction received by the operation part.

5. A reproducing apparatus as set forth in claim 3,

wherein the operation screen data includes list data indicating a plurality of content data.

6. A reproducing apparatus as set forth in claim 5,

wherein the control part reads out selected content data and transmits the read out selected content data via the interface to the external output device when an operation command for selecting predetermined content data from the list data is received by the operation part.

7. A reproducing apparatus as set forth in claim 5,

wherein the control part generates a list of bookmarked data as operation screen data based on the bookmark data read out from the recording part and transmits the operation screen data via the interface to the external output device when communication with the external output device is established.

8. A reproducing apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein

the recording part records image data, and

the control part transmits the image data to the external output device through the interface linked with the operation screen data, and controls the external output device to display an image as a background, according to the image data.

9. A method of operating a content reproducing apparatus including a display, the method including:

recording content data;

reproducing content data based on the recorded content data;

outputting the reproduced content data;

establishing, via an interface of the content reproducing apparatus, communication with an external output device;

receiving, via an operation part of the content reproducing apparatus, control signals indicative of operation instructions from a user input remote controller device associated with the external output device, the user input remote controller device comprising a touch panel interface configured to display one or more volume and or sound quality selection options, and to receive input through the touch panel interface associated with the one or more volume and or sound quality selection options;

configuring the user input remote controller to adjust the volume and or sound quality produced by the external output device by adjusting volume and or sound quality of an audio signal produced by the reproducing apparatus;

storing an association that associates at least one of the volume and or sound quality selection options with volume and or sound quality operations of the reproducing apparatus, wherein selecting the one or more of the volume and or sound quality selection options associated with the volume and or sound quality of the external output device does not operate the volume and or sound quality of the external output device;

displaying operation screen data including volume and or sound quality information of the content data;

reading the recorded content data from a recording part of the content reproducing apparatus based on the operation instructions, and transmitting the content data, via the interface, to the external output device; and

controlling, via the control part, the volume and or sound quality properties of the reproduction of the content data output by the external output device based on the audio control signals received from the user input remote controller device by the operation part.

10. A content reproduction system comprising a content reproducing apparatus and an external output device in communication with the content reproducing apparatus, wherein:

the reproducing apparatus comprises;

a data line for transferring data among connected parts,

a recording part for recording and transferring content data,

a reproduction part for reproducing the content data transferred from the recording part via the data line,

an output part for outputting the reproduced content data,

an interface for communicating with the external output device,

an operation part connected to the data line for receiving audio control signals,

wherein the operation part receives the audio control signals from a user input remote controller device associated with the external output device, the user input remote controller device comprising a touch panel interface configured to display one or more volume and or sound quality selection options, and to receive input through the touch panel interface associated with the one or more volume and or sound quality selection options,

the user input remote controller is configured to adjust the volume and or sound quality produced by the external output device by adjusting the volume and or sound quality of an audio signal produced by the reproducing apparatus,

wherein one or more of the volume and or sound quality selection options is associated with the volume and or sound quality operations of the reproducing apparatus, and the association is stored in a memory of the reproducing apparatus, wherein selection of the one or more volume and or sound quality selection options associated with the volume and or sound quality of the external output device does not operate the volume and or sound quality of the external output device,

a display for displaying operation screen data including volume and or sound quality information of the content data, and

a control part for transmitting the content data to the external output device via the interface based on the received control signals, and controlling volume and or sound quality properties of the content data output by the external output device based on the received audio control signals, and displaying the operation screen data onto the external output device and suspending the display of the operation screen data onto the display, when communication with the external output device is established via the interface; and

the external output device comprises;

an input part for receiving as input the data from the reproducing apparatus via the interface, and

an output part configured to output the content data transmitted from the reproducing apparatus.