Method of using server, server reservation control apparatus and program storage medium

• US 9,276,916 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2012
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishimura, Takanori, Ihara, Keigo, Yoshimine, Takao, Fukuda, Junko, Sueyoshi, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Daftuar, Saket K
• Application Number:
  US13/442,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20120203836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,422 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/204, 709/208, 709/209, 709/213, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/226, 709/227, 709/228, 709/229, 709/231, 709/232, 709/238, 709/248, 707/9, 707/10, 707/101, 707/102, 707/103, 707/104, 707/999.009, 707/999.01, 707/999.101, 707/999.102, 707/999.103, 707/999.104, 705/51, 705/56, 705/64, 705/78, 705/76, 725/86, 725/87, 725/91, 725/93, 725/95, 725/97, 725/37, 725/105, 725/114, 725/115, 725/116, 725/117, 370/73, 370/76, 370/FOR.130, 370/FOR.131, 370/FOR.134, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 455/5.2, 455/7, 455/5.1, 455/6.1, 455/6.3, 455/FOR.217, 455/FOR.218, 455/FOR.214, 348/6, 348/7, 348/8, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13, 348/FOR.169, 348/FOR.170, 348/FOR.171, 348/FOR.172, 348/FOR.173, 348/FOR.176, 348/FOR.178
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5014 Reservation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/72 using reservation actions during connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/133 Protocols for remote procedure calls [RPC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In a content supply system, in order to use a streaming server to perform a live distribution, a user PC used makes a reservation for a time zone, etc. to a server reservation control center. When the user PC sends desired reservation information to the server reservation control center via the Internet, if the reservation is accepted, a reservation ID only used for authentication of the reservation is created and sent from the server reservation control center to the user PC via the Internet. When a distribution request is sent from the user to the streaming server, authentication processing using this reservation ID is performed.

Claims

1. A server comprising:

a processor configured to

receive, from a first client device, content, a client ID, and a level of access control, the level of access control restricting users, different from a user of the first client device, from accessing the content, the level of access control being from a plurality of access control levels including a first disclosure level that permits users belonging to a first group to access the content, and a second disclosure level that permits users belonging to a second group to access the content, the second group being different from the first group, and

send the content to a second client device when a user of the second client device is determined to be permitted to access the content based on the level of access control and the client ID, wherein information associated with the content is to be included into a publicly available webpage based upon the first disclosure level being selected, and the information associated with the content is not to be included into the publicly available webpage based upon the second disclosure level being selected.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the content includes a URL to access the content.

3. The server of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform authentication of the first client device.

4. The server of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to stream the content to the second client device in response to a user selection of the second client device.

5. The server of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to stream the content received from the first client device to the second client device in real time.

6. The server of claim 5, wherein the content includes time information indicating a length of time that the first client device sends the content.

7. The server of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to receive, from the first client device, bandwidth setting information for sending the content.

8. The server of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to store the content received from the first client device in real time and to send the stored content to the second client device after real time streaming.

9. The server of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to receive configuration information to add an effect to the content from the first client device.

10. The server of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a monetary charge to be applied to a user based on the time information.

38. The server of claim 1, wherein the first client device and the second client device are connected via a communication network.

39. The server of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive from the first client device a request to extend a transmission time of the content from the server to the second client device by a predetermined amount of time.

40. The server of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive, from the first client device, email addresses of the users that are permitted to receive the content, the email addresses being used to provide a notification of the content to the receivers.

41. The server of claim 1, wherein the first group of users is a public group and the second group of users is a secret group.

42. The server of claim 1, wherein the plurality of access control levels include a third disclosure level that permits users belonging to a third group to access the content, and information pertaining to the distribution of content corresponding to the third group is displayed in a listing stored in the server.

43. The server of claim 42, wherein the first group of users is a public group, the second group of users is a secret group, and the third group of users is a password group.

11. A client device comprising:

a processor configured to send, to a server, content, a client ID, and a level of access control, the level of access control restricting users, different from a user of the client device, from accessing the content, the level of access control being from a plurality of access control levels including a first disclosure level that permits users belonging to a first group to access the content, and a second disclosure level that permits users belonging to a second group to access the content, the second group being different from the first group, the server sending the content to a second client device when a user of the second client device is determined to be permitted to access the content based on the level of access control and the client ID, wherein information associated with the content is to be included into a publicly available webpage based upon the first disclosure level being selected, and the information associated with the content is not to be included into the publicly available webpage based upon the second disclosure level being selected.

12. The client device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to send authentication information to the server.

13. The client device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to stream the content in real time to the server, the server streaming the content to the second client device.

14. The client device of claim 13, wherein the content includes time information indicating a length of time that the client device sends the content.

15. The client device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to send bandwidth setting information for sending the content.

16. The client device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to send configuration information to add an effect to the content.

17. The client device of claim 11, further comprising:

a main body portion having a keyboard;

a display portion having a display screen; and

a hinge that rotatably couples the main body portion and the display portion between a closed state and an open state or between the open state and the closed state, wherein

in the closed state, the display screen is exposed and the keyboard is not exposed,

in the open state, the client device is operable as a clam shell personal computer.

18. The client device of claim 17, wherein a camera is available in the open state and the closed state.

19. The client device of claim 18, wherein the display screen and the camera are same in orientation in both the open and the closed state.

20. The client device of claim 11, wherein the client device is a mobile phone.

21. An information processing method performed by a server including a processor, the method comprising:

receiving, from a first client device, by the processor, content, a client ID, and a level of access control, the level of access control restricting users, different from a user of the first client device, from accessing the content, the level of access control being from a plurality of access control levels including a first disclosure level that permits users belonging to a first group to access the content, and a second disclosure level that permits users belonging to a second group to access the content, the second group being different from the first group; and

sending, by the processor, the content to a second client device when a user of the second client device is determined to be permitted to access the content based on the level of access control and the client ID, wherein information associated with the content is to be included into a publicly available webpage based upon the first disclosure level being selected, and the information associated with the content is not to be included into the publicly available webpage based upon the second disclosure level being selected.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the information associated with the content includes a URL to access the content.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

authenticating the first client device.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

streaming the content to the second client device in response to a user selection of the second client device.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

streaming the content received from the first client device to the second client device in real time.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the content includes time information indicating a length of time that the first client device sends the content.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving, from the first client device, bandwidth setting information for sending the content.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

storing the content received from the first client device in real time; and

sending the stored content to the second client device after real time streaming.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving, from the first client device, configuration information to add an effect to the content.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

determining a monetary charge to be applied to a user based on the time information.

31. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer program instructions, which when executed by a processor included in a client device, cause the client device to perform a method comprising:

sending to a server, content, a client ID, and a level of access control, the level of access control restricting users, different from a user of the client device, from accessing the content, the level of access control being from a plurality of access control levels including a first disclosure level that permits users belonging to a first group to access the content, and a second disclosure level that permits users belonging to a second group to access the content, the second group being different from the first group, the server sending the content to a second client device when a user of the second client device is determined to be permitted to access the content based on the level of access control and the client ID, wherein information associated with the content is to be included into a publicly available webpage based upon the first disclosure level being selected, and the information associated with the content is not to be included into the publicly available webpage based upon the second disclosure level being selected.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, the method further comprising:

sending authentication information to the server.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, the method further comprising:

streaming the content in real time to the server to stream the content to the second client device.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the content includes time information indicating a length of time that the client device sends the content.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, the method further comprising:

sending bandwidth setting information for sending the content.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, the method further comprising:

sending configuration information to add an effect to the content.

37. An information processing system comprising:

a first client device including a first processor configured to;

transmit content, a client ID, and a level of access control, the level of access control restricting users, different from a user of the first client device, from accessing the content, the level of access control being from a plurality of access control levels including a first disclosure level that permits users belonging to a first group to access the content, and a second disclosure level that permits users belonging to a second group to access the content, the second group being different from the first group; and

a server including a second processor configured to;

receive the content, the level of access control, and the client ID transmitted from the first client device, and send the content to a second client device when a user of the second client device is determined to be permitted to access the content based on the level of access control and the client ID, wherein information associated with the content is to be included into a publicly available webpage based upon the first disclosure level being selected, and the information associated with the content is not to be included into the publicly available webpage based upon the second disclosure level being selected.