Communications system and method, information processing apparatus and method, information management apparatus and method, recording medium and program

• US 9,451,327 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2013
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sugimoto, Kayo, Ogawa, Kazuyuki, Takimoto, Yuji, Sato, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Hieu
• Application Number:
  US14/134,159
• Publication Number:
  US 20140109130A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 709227-229
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6437 Real-time Transport Protocol [RTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A communications system and method, an information processing apparatus and method, an information management apparatus and method, a recording medium and a program make it possible to efficiently and comfortably make use of contents, which are stored in one server, from a plurality of devices connected via a network. In a case in which the playing of content is stopped, bookmark information including a time stamp representing the stopped position of the content is stored in association with predetermined identification information. The bookmark information is available for various apparatuses transmitting the identification information. When playing the content from a position designated by the information from a predetermined apparatus, the time stamp included in the bookmark information is referred to and the playing of the content from the stopped position is started. The present invention can be applied to various apparatuses such as a personal computer, audio equipment, a PDA, a mobile phone and the like.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a control device to;

store, in a memory, a time stamp representing a position of content when playing of the content is stopped, based on a first request over a network from a first apparatus to which the content is provided over the network, the first request indicating the position of the content and based on stopping of playing of the content at the first apparatus; and

provide, over the network, the content from the position represented by the time stamp, in response to a second request over the network for playing of the content from the position provided to the information processing apparatus subsequent to the first request,

wherein, when the second request is from a second apparatus, the content is provided to the second apparatus from the position represented by the time stamp, in which first user identification information is set at the second apparatus for automatically being included in the second request, and

wherein the time stamp is stored in the memory with second user identification set at the first apparatus for automatically being included in the first request, and without an indication identifying the second apparatus as a source from which the second request is transmitted and an indication identifying the first apparatus as a source from which the first request is transmitted, and in which each of the first and second apparatuses is a unique device.

2. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first request is based on a command input to the first apparatus by a user to cause the stopping of playing of the content.

3. The information processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the command input represents stopping or pausing of playing of the content.

4. The information processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the command input represents an instruction to play other content instead of the content.

5. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control device stops providing of the content to the first apparatus based on the first request.

6. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stopping of playing of the content at the first apparatus is when at least one of power of the first apparatus is forcibly turned off or a content player of the first apparatus is forcibly shut down.

7. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a control device to;

transmit, over a network, a first request to store a time stamp representing a position of content when playing of the content is stopped, the first request indicating the position of the content and based on stopping of playing of the content at the information processing apparatus; and

to play the content from the position represented by the time stamp, in accordance with a response over the network to a second request transmitted from the information processing apparatus over the network for playing of the content from the position, the second request being transmitted subsequent to the first request, in which user identification information is set at the information processing apparatus for automatically being included in the second request,

wherein the time stamp is stored in a memory of an external apparatus based on the first request with the user identification set at the information processing apparatus for automatically being included in the first request, and without an indication identifying of the information processing apparatus as a source from which the second request is transmitted and an indication identifying the information processing apparatus as a source from which the second request is transmitted.

8. The information processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the information processing apparatus is a television, a personal digital assistant device, a computer or a mobile phone.

9. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a control device to;

transmit, over a network, a first request to play content from a position represented by a time stamp, wherein the time stamp represents a position of the content when playing of the content is stopped and is stored based on a second request transmitted over the network, wherein the second request is based on stopping of playing of the content at an apparatus other than the information processing apparatus, the first request being transmitted subsequent to the second request, in which first user identification information is set at the information processing apparatus for automatically being included in the first request; and

to play the content from the position represented by the time stamp, in accordance with a response over the network to the first request,

wherein the time stamp is stored in a memory of an external apparatus based on the second request with second user identification set at the other information processing apparatus for automatically being included in the second request, and without an indication identifying the information processing apparatus as a source from which the first request is transmitted and an indication identifying the other information processing apparatus as a source from which the second request is transmitted.

10. The information processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein each of the information processing apparatus and the other apparatus is a television, a personal digital assistant device, a computer or a mobile phone.

11. A system for managing information, the system comprising:

a first control device to store, in a memory, a time stamp representing a position of content when playing of the content is stopped, based on a first request over a network from a first apparatus to which the content is provided over the network, the first request indicating the position of the content and based on stopping of playing of the content at the first apparatus; and

a second control device to stop providing of the content based on the first request and to start providing the content over the network from the position represented by the time stamp, in response to a second request over the network for playing of the content from the position provided to the system subsequent to the first request,

wherein, when the second request is from a second apparatus, the content is provided to the second apparatus from the position represented by the time stamp, in which first user identification information is set at the second apparatus for automatically being included in the second request, and

wherein the time stamp is stored in the memory with second user identification set at the first apparatus for automatically being included in the first request, and without an indication identifying of the second apparatus as a source from which the second request is transmitted and an indication identifying the first apparatus as a source from which the first request is transmitted, and in which each of the first and second apparatuses is a unique device.

12. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a control device to;

receive, over a network, a first request from a first apparatus to store a time stamp representing a position of content when playing of the content is stopped, the first request indicating the position of the content and based on stopping of playing of the content; and

to play the content from the position represented by the time stamp, in response to a second request transmitted over the network for playing of the content from the position, the second request being transmitted subsequent to the first request,

wherein, when the second request is from a second apparatus, the content is played from the position represented by the time stamp, in which first user identification information is set at the second apparatus for automatically being included in the second request, and

wherein the time stamp is stored in a memory with second user identification set at the first apparatus for automatically being included in the first request, and without an indication identifying the second apparatus as a source from which the second request is transmitted and an indication identifying the first apparatus as a source from which the first request is transmitted, and in which each of the first and second apparatuses is a unique device.