INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, PROGRAM AND INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM

• US 20180234733A1
• Filed: 04/17/2018
• Published: 08/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Group Corp.
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hiroi, Satoshi, Ichikawa, Yukio, Sato, Yumi, Suzuki, Marie, Nakajima, Yasushi, Nagatani, Hiroshi, Hara, Masahiro, Horiki, Hiroshi, Fujimoto, Kouhei, Matsuzawa, Takeshi, Mitsubori, Hiroyuki, Houjou, Sakae, Yang, Mingshan
• Granted Patent: US 10,965,990 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• 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 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

An information processing apparatus receives a user selection of content to be reproduced by an external device connected to the information processing apparatus. A request to reproduce the user selected content is sent to the external device. Information indicating whether the external device has started reproducing the selected content is received from the external device. In response to the external device having started reproduction of the selected content, a thumbnail image is reproduced that corresponds to the content being reproduced by the external device.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an input interface configured to receive a user operation;

a communication interface to connect to a network; and

circuitry configured to control;

acquiring content information related to contents managed by a server via the network, wherein the content information includes a thumbnail corresponding to at least one of the contents;

generating a content list of contents viewable at the information processing apparatus based on the content information;

transmitting, to the server, a request to reproduce a first content based on user selection of the first content received via the input interface;

reproducing the first content in a form of streaming from the server;

displaying information of at least one device capable of reproducing the first content to switch the reproduction of the first content while the first content is being reproduced;

transmitting, to the server, a request to reproduce the first content at a selected device of the at least one device based on user selection of the selected device received via the input interface; and

displaying a first thumbnail corresponding to the first content when the reproduction of the first content by the selected device is started.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is configured to control transmitting, to the server, information indicating a reproducing point of the first content to cause the first content to be reproduced at the selected device according to the reproducing point.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is configured to control, in response to a user operation carried out while the selected device reproduces the first content, displaying a window identifying the selected device.

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is configured to control displaying an icon of the selected device, and wherein the icon is displayed in a window.

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein information about the selected device which reproduces the first content is displayed with the first thumbnail image while the selected device reproduces the first content.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the content list includes information indicating content category and a plurality of contents, the plurality of contents being arranged based on respective timings at which the plurality of contents were generated, and wherein the contents in the list are scrollable.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is configured to control

acquiring the first thumbnail image and metadata corresponding to the first content being reproduced by the selected device, and

reproducing the first thumbnail image and the metadata while the selected device reproduces the first content.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is configured to control displaying a command window including a command to reproduce the first content by the selected device.

10. An information processing method comprising:

controlling, by a processing device at an apparatus,

receiving a user operation;

connecting to a network;

acquiring content information related to contents managed by a server via the network, wherein the content information includes a thumbnail corresponding to at least one of the contents;

generating a content list of contents viewable at the apparatus based on the content information;

transmitting, to the server, a request to reproduce a first content based on user selection of the first content;

reproducing the first content in a form of streaming from the server;

displaying information of at least one device capable of reproducing the first content to switch the reproduction of the first content while the first content is being reproduced;

transmitting, to the server, a request to reproduce the first content at a selected device of the at least one device based on user selection of the selected device; and

displaying a first thumbnail corresponding to the first content when the reproduction of the first content by the selected device is started.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, transmitting, to the server, information indicating a reproducing point of the first content to cause the first content to be reproduced at the selected device according to the reproducing point.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, in response to a user operation carried out while the selected device reproduces the first content, displaying a window identifying the selected device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, displaying an icon of the selected device, wherein the icon is displayed in a window.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein information about the selected device which reproduces the first content is displayed with the first thumbnail image while the selected device reproduces the first content.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the content list includes information indicating content category and a plurality of contents, the plurality of contents being arranged based on respective timings at which the plurality of contents were generated, and wherein the contents in the list are scrollable.

16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device,

acquiring the first thumbnail image and metadata corresponding to the first content being reproduced by the selected device, and

reproducing the first thumbnail image and the metadata while the selected device reproduces the first content.

17. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

controlling, by the processing device, displaying a command window including a command to reproduce the first content by the selected device.

18. A non-transitory recording medium configured to store a program executable by a computer, the program comprising:

receiving a user operation;

connecting to a network;

acquiring content information related to contents managed by a server via the network, wherein the content information includes a thumbnail corresponding to at least one of the contents;

generating a content list of contents viewable at an information processing apparatus based on the content information;

transmitting, to the server, a request to reproduce a first content based on user selection of the first content;

reproducing the first content in a form of streaming from the server;

displaying information of at least one device capable of reproducing the first content to switch the reproduction of the first content while the first content is being reproduced;

transmitting, to the server, a request to reproduce the first content at a selected device of the at least one device based on user selection of the selected device; and

displaying a first thumbnail corresponding to the first content when the reproduction of the first content by the selected device is started.