Management server device and terminal device for a contents providing system

• US 6,954,763 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2002
• Issued: 10/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Tanikawa, Toshiro, Sugihara, Motooki, Nunome, Toshiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Application Number:
  US10/212,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20030028539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707200-205, 455/564, 455/412.1, 709/223, 715/723, 705/27
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A management server device in a contents providing system can communicate with a user terminal through a communication network. The management server device includes a play-list creation device which creates a play list of contents based on user input to the user terminal, a storage device which stores the created play list in relation to a user, and a transmission device which acquires a play list from the storage device according to a request from the user terminal.

Claims

1. A management server device in a contents providing system which can communicate with a user terminal through a communication network, comprising:

a play-list creation device which creates a play list of contents based on a user'"'"'s input to the user terminal;

a storage device which stores the created play list in association with a user;

a transmission device which acquires a play list from the storage device according to a request from the user terminal and transmits the list to the user terminal, and

a menu providing device which transmits menu data for displaying a menu screen on the user terminal to the user terminal,

wherein the menu providing device comprises

i) a plurality of menu elements which form a plurality of menu screens;

ii) routing data which defines, for each user, an order according to which a plurality of the menu screens are displayed; and

iii) a device which changes the contents of the routing data according to the user'"'"'s input to the menu screen, wherein the play-list creation device comprises;

a condition decision device which decides contents-retrieval conditions based on the user input;

a device which transmits the contents-retrieval conditions to an external contents delivery server device to execute retrieval; and

a device which receives retrieval results from the contents delivery server device and which creates the play list based on the retrieval results.

2. A management server device according to claim 1, wherein the play list includes identification information of the contents and management information associated with the contents.

3. A management server device according to claim 2, wherein the management information includes information representing a storage position on a contents delivery server device in which the contents are stored.

4. A management server device according to claim 1, wherein the routing data includes priority data representing priority according to which a plurality of menu screens are displayed if there are a plurality of menu screens to be displayed after a specific menu screen.

5. A management server device according to claim 1, wherein the condition decision device determines an option selected by the users input, among options included in the menu screen, as a retrieval condition.

6. A management server device according to claim 1, wherein the contents are music contents, and wherein the play list includes names of music numbers, names of artists, identification information for a plurality of music contents and information representing an order according to which a plurality of the music contents are reproduced.

7. A terminal device which can communicate with a management server device and a contents delivery server device through a communication network, comprising:

a device which acquires a play list of contents from the management server device;

a device which transmits a request for contents delivery of contents in the play list to the contents delivery server device;

a device which reproduces contents received from the contents delivery server device according to the play list; and

a menu receiving device which receives menu data for displaying a menu screen on the user terminal from the management server,

wherein the menu data includes

i) a plurality of menu elements which form a plurality of menu screens; and

ii) routing data which defines, for each user, an order according to which a plurality of the menu screens are displayed, the contents of the routing data changed according to the user'"'"'s input to the menu screen, and

the play-list creation device comprises;

a condition decision device which decides contents-retrieval conditions based on the user input;

a device which transmits the contents-retrieval conditions to an external contents delivery server device to execute retrieval; and

a device which receives retrieval results from the contents delivery server device and which creates the play list based on the retrieval results.

8. A terminal device according to claim 7, wherein the menu receiving device further comprises:

a device which receives the menu data including an option necessary for creating the play list from the management server device, and which displays a menu screen; and

an input device which inputs the option to be selected.

9. A terminal device according to claim 8, wherein the contents are music contents, and wherein the terminal device is an audio system provided with a communication function through the communication network.