Portable information terminal apparatus, information processing method, computer-program storage medium, and computer-program

• US 7,095,402 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2002
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kunii, Koji, Shimizu, Hiroyuki, Takase, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABDULSELAM, ABBAS I
• Application Number:
  US10/086,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20020122080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,637 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/716, 345/717, 345/722, 345/169, 345/553, 345/556, 345/901, 348/563, 348/564, 348/569, 715/864, 715/835, 715/745, 715/763, 707/7, 386/47, 386/119, 725/43, 725/40, 725/58
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• 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 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 : for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a portable information terminal apparatus, an information processing method, a computer-program storage medium, and a computer-program. In a portable information terminal apparatus capable of managing a schedule list, the apparatus includes acquiring means for acquiring program information; displaying means for displaying the program information acquired by the acquiring means; establishing means for establishing preset information for presetting a program for unattended recording based on an operation input by a user referring to the program information displayed by the displaying means; and writing means for writing to the schedule list the preset information established by the establishing means. In the apparatus, the displaying means further displays the schedule list including the preset information written by the writing means.

Claims

1. A portable information terminal apparatus capable of managing a user'"'"'s schedule list, the apparatus comprising:

acquiring means for acquiring program information;

displaying means for displaying said program information acquired by said acquiring means;

establishing means for establishing preset information for reserving a program to record based on an operation input by a user;

writing means for writing said preset information in said user'"'"'s schedule list;

synchronization means for synchronizing said program information and/or said user'"'"'s schedule list of said portable information terminal apparatus with one or more external apparatuses; and

program recording history means for recording viewing patterns of said user;

wherein said displaying means further displays said user'"'"'s schedule list including said preset information written by said writing means said preset information being distinguishable from said user'"'"'s schedule; and

wherein said synchronizing occurs automatically or by said operation input of said user.

2. A portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising determining means for determining whether or not to write to said user'"'"'s schedule list said preset information established by said establishing means;

wherein said displaying means displays a keyword together with a name of said preset information to distinguish said preset information from said user'"'"'s schedule, and

wherein said writing means writes said preset information established by said establishing means to said user'"'"'s schedule list based on a result of the determination made by said determining means.

3. A portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said displaying means displays said preset information together with a mark for distinguishing said preset information from user'"'"'s schedule information managed by said user'"'"'s schedule list.

4. A portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said displaying means displays said preset information in a color distinctly different from another color in which user'"'"'s schedule information managed by said user'"'"'s schedule list is displayed.

5. The portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting means for transmitting said preset information to a recording apparatus to allow said recording apparatus to record a reserved program according to said preset information.

6. The portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising notifying means for notifying said user of an approaching event that was scheduled earlier in said user'"'"'s schedule list.

7. The portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising advertisement means for displaying advertisement data, said advertisement data being displayed either continuously or intermittently on said display means.

8. The portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said advertisement data is selectively sent only to a particular group of information terminal apparatuses.

9. The portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising updating means for automatically updating said user'"'"'s schedule list if any expired data are present in said user'"'"'s schedule list.

10. The portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said portable information terminal apparatus transfers said user'"'"'s schedule list and/or said program information and/or advertisement data to another information terminal apparatus.

11. The portable information terminal apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when said user'"'"'s schedule list and/or said program information and/or said advertisement data is transferred to said another portable information terminal apparatus, said advertisement data are transferred before said user'"'"'s schedule list and/or said program information.

12. An information processing method for use with a portable information terminal apparatus capable of managing a user'"'"'s schedule list, the method comprising the steps of:

acquiring program information;

controlling display of said program information acquired in said acquiring step;

establishing preset information for reserving a program to record based on an operation input by a user;

writing said preset information in said user'"'"'s schedule list;

synchronizing said program information and/or said user'"'"'s schedule list of said portable information terminal apparatus with one or more external apparatuses; and

recording viewing patterns of said user via a program recording history means;

wherein said display controlling step further controls display of said user'"'"'s schedule list including said preset information written under control of said write controlling step, said preset information being distinguishable from said user'"'"'s schedule list; and

wherein said synchronizing occurs automatically or by said operation input of said user.

13. A computer-program storage medium which stores a computer-program readable by a computer for controlling a portable information terminal apparatus capable of managing a user'"'"'s schedule list, said computer-program comprising the steps of:

acquiring program information;

controlling display of said program information acquired in said acquiring step;

establishing preset information for reserving a program to record based on an operation input by a user;

writing said preset information in said user'"'"'s schedule list;

synchronizing said program information and/or said user'"'"'s schedule list of said portable infomiation terminal apparatus with one or more external apparatuses; and

recording viewing patterns of said user via a program recording history means;

wherein said display controlling step further controls display of said user'"'"'s schedule list including said preset information written under control of said write controlling step, said preset information being distinguishable from said user'"'"'s schedule list; and

wherein said synchronizing occurs automatically or by said operation input of said user.

14. A computer-program for causing a computer capable of managing a user'"'"'s schedule list to execute the steps of:

acquiring program information;

controlling display of said program information acquired in said acquiring step;

establishing preset information for reserving a program to record based on an operation input by a user;

writing said preset information in said user'"'"'s schedule list;

synchronizing said program information and/or said user'"'"'s schedule list of a portable information terminal apparatus with one or more external apparatuses; and

recording viewing patterns of said user via a program recording history means;

wherein said display controlling step further controls display of said user'"'"'s schedule list including said preset information written under control of said write controlling step, said preset information being distinguishable from said user'"'"'s schedule list; and

wherein said synchronizing occurs automatically or by said operation input of said user.