Communication system and its method and communication apparatus and its method

• US 8,108,572 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2010
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Data Scape Limited (Atlantic IP Services Limited)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Morohashi, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Sorrell, Eron J
• Application Number:
  US12/835,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20100281140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/33
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• 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: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/213 Read-only discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2525 Magneto-optical [MO] discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2207/16 Solid state audio deprecated, only for historical reasons, G06F3/16, G11B
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 : Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 : for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 : for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand

Abstract

This invention relates to a communication system including a first apparatus having a first storage medium, and a second apparatus for transmitting data to the first apparatus, the second apparatus comprising: a second storage medium for storing management information of data to be transferred to the first storage medium; communication means for communicating data with the first apparatus; edit means capable of editing the management information; and control means for making a control to transfer data stored in the second storage medium to the first storage medium by way of the communication means on the basis of the management information edited by the edit means.

Claims

1. A transfer system comprising a storage apparatus and a playback apparatus,

the storage apparatus including

communication means for communicating with the playback apparatus,

storage means for storing a plurality of pieces of content data in a storage medium,

editing means for editing program lists in which content identifiers of the pieces of content data stored in the storage medium are registered, and associating each of the plurality of program lists with corresponding apparatus identification information uniquely identifying the playback apparatus, and

control means for performing transfer control to cause the communication means to receive apparatus identification information uniquely identifying the playback apparatus, extract a program list with which apparatus identification information that matches the received apparatus identification information is associated, and cause content data that is not stored in the playback apparatus within content data corresponding to a content identifier included in the extracted program list to be transferred from the storage medium to the playback apparatus, and the control means comparing the program list with a list configured using a content identifier of the content data stored in an other storage medium of the playback apparatus, and causes content data corresponding to a content identifier that is not included in the program list and that is included in the list to be deleted from the other storage medium, and

the playback apparatus including

other communication means for communicating the storage apparatus, and

the other storage means for storing content data received via the other communication means in another storage medium.

2. The transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the other storage medium is attachable to and detachable from the playback apparatus.

3. The transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the control means performs the transfer control when it is determined that a playback apparatus has been connected.

4. The transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the control means compares a remaining allowable storage capacity of the other storage medium with an amount of data of the content data that is not stored, and interrupts the transfer control when the other storage medium is not capable of storing the content data that is not stored.

5. The transfer system according to claim 4, wherein the control means causes the program list together with the content data that is not stored to be transferred to the playback apparatus in the transfer control.

6. The transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the program list includes at least one of a title name, an artist name, a composer, a lyricist, and a jacket image corresponding to the content data.

7. The transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the content data is digital data compressed using MP3 format or ATRAC format.

8. A transfer method for transferring content between a storage apparatus and a playback apparatus, comprising:

storing a plurality of pieces of content data in a storage medium;

editing program lists in which content identifiers of the pieces of content data stored in the storage medium are registered, and associating each of the plurality of program lists with corresponding apparatus identification information uniquely identifying the playback apparatus;

performing transfer control to cause apparatus identification information uniquely identifying a playback apparatus to be received, extract a program list with which apparatus identification information that matches the received apparatus identification information is associated, and cause content data that is not stored in the other storage medium within content data corresponding to a content identifier included in the extracted program list to be transferred from the storage medium to the playback apparatus, the performing compares the program list with a list configured using a content identifier of the content data stored in the other storage medium, and causes content data corresponding to a content identifier that is not included in the program list and that is included in the list to be deleted from the other storage medium; and

storing the transferred content data to another storage medium.

9. The transfer method according to claim 8, wherein the other storage medium is attachable to and detachable from the playback apparatus.

10. The transfer method according to claim 9, wherein the performing causes the program list together with the content data that is not stored to be transferred to the playback apparatus in the transfer control.

11. The transfer method according to claim 8, wherein the performing performs the transfer control when it is determined that a playback apparatus has been connected.

12. The transfer method according to claim 8, wherein the performing compares a remaining allowable storage capacity of the other storage medium with an amount of data of the content data that is not stored, and interrupts the transfer control when the other storage medium is not capable of storing the content data that is not stored.

13. The transfer method according to claim 8, wherein the program list includes at least one of a title name, an artist name, a composer, a lyricist, and a jacket image corresponding to the content data.

14. The transfer method according to claim 8, wherein the content data is digital data compressed using MP3 format or ATRAC format.

18. The storage apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control means causes the program list together with the content data that is not stored to be transferred to the playback apparatus in the transfer control.

15. A storage apparatus comprising:

communication means for communicating with a playback apparatus;

storage means for storing a plurality of pieces of content data in a storage medium;

editing means for editing program lists in which content identifiers of the pieces of content data stored in the storage medium are registered, and associating each of the plurality of program lists with corresponding apparatus identification information uniquely identifying the playback apparatus; and

control means for performing transfer control to cause the communication means to receive apparatus identification information uniquely identifying the playback apparatus, extract a program list with which apparatus identification information that matches the received apparatus identification information is associated, and cause content data that is not stored in the other storage medium within content data corresponding to a content identifier included in the extracted program list to be transferred from the storage medium to the playback apparatus, and the control means comparing the program list with a list configured using a content identifier of content data stored in the playback apparatus, and causes content data corresponding to a content identifier that is not included in the program list and that is included in the list to be deleted from the playback apparatus.

16. The storage apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the control means performs the transfer control when it is determined that a playback apparatus has been connected.

17. The storage apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the control means compares a remaining allowable storage capacity of the playback apparatus with an amount of data of the content data that is not stored, and interrupts the transfer control when the playback apparatus is not capable of storing the content data that is not stored.

19. The storage apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the program list includes at least one of a title name, an artist name, a composer, a lyricist, and a jacket image corresponding to the content data.

20. The storage apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the content data is digital data compressed using MP3 format or ATRAC format.

21. A transfer method comprising:

communicating with a playback apparatus;

storing a plurality of pieces of content data in a storage medium;

editing program lists in which content identifiers of the pieces of content data stored in the storage medium are registered, and associating each of the plurality of program lists with corresponding apparatus identification information uniquely identifying the playback apparatus; and

performing transfer control to cause apparatus identification information uniquely identifying a playback apparatus to be received, extract a program list with which apparatus identification information that matches the received apparatus identification information is associated, and cause content data that is not stored in the other storage medium within content data corresponding to a content identifier included in the extracted program list to be transferred from the storage medium to the playback apparatus, the performing compares the program list with a list configured using a content identifier of the content data stored in the playback apparatus, and causes content data corresponding to a content identifier that is not included in the program list and that is included in the list to be deleted from the playback apparatus.

22. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with computer readable instructions for causing a computer to execute a method comprising:

communicating with a playback apparatus;

storing a plurality of pieces of content data in a storage medium;

editing program lists in which content identifiers of the pieces of content data stored in the storage medium are registered, and associating each of the plurality of program lists with corresponding apparatus identification information uniquely identifying the playback apparatus; and

performing transfer control to cause apparatus identification information uniquely identifying a playback apparatus to be received, extract a program list with which apparatus identification information that matches the received apparatus identification information is associated, and cause content data that is not stored in the other storage medium within content data corresponding to a content identifier included in the extracted program list to be transferred from the storage medium to the playback apparatus, the performing compares the program list with a list configured using a content identifier of the content data stored in the playback apparatus, and causes content data corresponding to a content identifier that is not included in the program list and that is included in the list to be deleted from the playback apparatus.

23. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, wherein the performing performs the transfer control when it is determined that a playback apparatus has been connected.

24. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, wherein the performing causes content data that is not stored in the other storage medium within the content data corresponding to the content identifier in the program list to be transferred to the playback apparatus.

25. The computer readable medium according to claim 24, wherein the performing compares a remaining allowable storage capacity of the playback apparatus with an amount of data of the content data that is not stored, and interrupts the transfer control when the playback apparatus is not capable of storing the content data that is not stored.

26. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, wherein the program list includes at least one of a title name, an artist name, a composer, a lyricist, and a jacket image corresponding to the content data.

27. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, wherein the content data is digital data compressed using MP3 format or ATRAC format.