Control device, reproduction system, and program

• US 8,132,217 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2008
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Casio Hitachi Mobile Communications Company Limited (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Miyata, Katsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Featherstone, Mark D
• Application Number:
  US12/275,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/78
• 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 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811

Abstract

First, a control device determines a reproduction-display device, from which the control device has been able to obtain neighborhood device information via a short-range wireless communication section, to be located in the neighborhood of the control device, and registers this reproduction-display device to neighborhood determination information. Next, the control device detects the reproduction-display devices connected to a network, to which a content server is connected, using a network communication section and registers these reproduction-display devices to reproduction device registration information. The reproduction-display device, which is registered in both of the reproduction device registration information and the neighborhood determination information, is designated by priority, and reproduces and displays content.

Claims

1. A control device configured to control a content retaining device configured to retain content and a plurality of reproduction devices configured to reproduce and display content supplied from the content retaining device via a network, the control device comprising:

a predetermined-range determination unit configured to determine a reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction devices located in a predetermined range based on the control device;

a reproduction device designating unit configured to designate at least one reproduction device from among the plurality of reproduction devices which are determined to be located in the predetermined range by the predetermined-range determination unit; and

a reproduction instruction unit configured to instruct the reproduction device designated by the reproduction device designating unit to obtain the content retained by the content retaining device via the network and to reproduce and display the content;

wherein each of the content retained by the content retaining device includes content attribute information indicating an attribute owned by the content; and

wherein the reproduction device designating unit includes;

an association information storing unit configured to preliminarily store association information associating a plurality of attributes for classifying the content with the plurality of reproduction devices configured to reproduce and display the content having these attributes by priority, respectively;

an attribute information acquiring unit configured to acquire the content attribute information via the network; and

a reproduction device identifying unit configured to identify the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction devices corresponding to the attribute indicated by the content attribute information acquired by the attribute information acquiring unit, in the association information, and

wherein the reproduction device designating unit designates the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction devices identified by the reproduction device identifying unit.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined-range determination unit includes:

a communication unit configured to communicate with the reproduction device via the network;

a reproduction device information acquiring unit configured to acquire reproduction device information, comprising information for identifying each reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction devices, from each of the plurality of reproduction devices capable of communication by the communication unit;

a short-range wireless communication unit configured to perform short-range wireless communication, which has a communicable range narrower than that of communication performed by the communication unit, with the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction devices; and

a neighborhood device information acquiring unit configured to acquire neighborhood device information from each reproduction device of the plurality of the reproduction devices capable of the short-range wireless communication with the short-range wireless communication unit, the neighborhood device information being information for identifying each of these reproduction devices, and

wherein, when registration content indicated by each set of the reproduction device information acquired by the reproduction device information acquiring unit and registration content indicated by each set of the neighborhood device information acquired by the neighborhood device information acquiring unit match each other, the predetermined-range determination unit determines the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction units, which is a sender of the reproduction device information and the neighborhood device information, to be located in the predetermined range.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined-range determination unit further includes:

a current location identifying unit configured to identify a current location of the control device;

a placement information storing unit configured to preliminarily store placement information associating the plurality of reproduction devices with respective placement regions, which are regions where the plurality of reproduction devices are placed, with each other; and

a placement region identifying unit configured to identify the placement region, including the current location of the control device identified by the current location identifying unit, from among the placement regions registered in the placement information,

wherein the predetermined-range determination unit determines the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction devices corresponding to the placement region identified by the placement region identifying unit, to be located in the predetermined range, among the plurality of reproduction devices registered in the placement information.

4. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined-range determination unit further includes:

a signal level measuring unit configured to measure a wireless signal level of the short-range wireless communication which is performed with the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction units by the short-range wireless communication unit; and

a signal level determination unit configured to determine whether the wireless signal level measured by the signal level measuring unit is larger than a predetermined value,

wherein, when the signal level determination unit determines the wireless signal level is larger than the predetermined value, the predetermined-range determination unit determines the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction devices, which is in the short-range wireless communication having this wireless signal level, to be located in the predetermined range.

6. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction device designating unit includes:

a list displaying unit configured to display a reproduction device list which is a list of reproduction devices determined to be located in the predetermined range by the predetermined-range determination unit; and

a manual designating unit configured to designate at least one reproduction device from the reproduction device list displayed by the list displaying unit in response to a user'"'"'s operation.

5. A control device configured to control a content retaining device configured to retain content and a plurality of reproduction devices configured to reproduce and display content supplied from the content retaining device via a network, the control device comprising:

a predetermined-range determination unit configured to determine a reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction devices located in a predetermined range based on the control device;

a reproduction-device designating unit configured to designate at least one reproduction device from among the plurality of reproduction devices which are determined to be located in the predetermined range by the predetermined-range determination unit; and

a reproduction instruction unit configured to instruct the reproduction device designated by the reproduction-device designating unit to obtain the content retained by the content retaining device via the network and to reproduce and display the content;

wherein the predetermined-range determination unit includes;

a wireless communication unit configured to perform wireless communication with the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction devices via a base station;

a belonging destination identifying unit configured to identify the base station to which the control device currently belongs while performing the wireless communication via the wireless communication unit;

a base station information storing unit configured to preliminarily store base station information which associates the plurality of reproduction devices with base stations to which respective reproduction devices belong during the wireless communication, respectively; and

a registered base station identifying unit configured to identify the base station which matches the base station identified by the belonging destination identifying unit, from among the base stations registered in the base station information, to which the reproduction devices belong, and

wherein the predetermined-range determination unit determines the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction devices corresponding to the base station identified by the registered base station identifying unit, to be located in the predetermined range, among the reproduction devices registered in the base station information.

7. A reproduction system comprising a content retaining device configured to retain content, a plurality of reproduction devices configured to reproduce and display content supplied from the content retaining device, and a control device configured to control the content retaining device and the plurality of reproduction devices, connected with one another via a network,

wherein the control device includes:

a predetermined-range determination unit configured to determine the reproduction device located in a predetermined range base on the control device;

a reproduction device designating unit configured to designate at least one reproduction device from among the plurality of reproduction devices determined to be located in the predetermined range by the predetermined-range determination unit; and

a reproduction instruction unit configured to instruct the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction units designated by the reproduction device designating unit to obtain the content retained by the content retaining device via the network, and to reproduce and display the content;

wherein the predetermined-range determination unit includes;

a wireless communication unit configured to perform wireless communication with the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction devices via a base station;

a belonging destination identifying unit configured to identify the base station to which the control device currently belongs while performing the wireless communication via the wireless communication unit;

a base station information storing unit configured to preliminarily store base station information which associates the plurality of reproduction devices with base stations to which respective reproduction devices belong during the wireless communication, respectively; and

a registered base station identifying unit configured to identify the base station which matches the base station identified by the belonging destination identifying unit, from among the base stations registered in the base station information, to which the reproduction devices belong, and

wherein the predetermined-range determination unit determines the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction devices corresponding to the base station identified by the registered base station identifying unit, to be located in the predetermined range, among the reproduction devices registered in the base station information.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with a computer program executed by a computer apparatus that causes a control device to control a content retaining device retaining content and a plurality of reproduction devices reproducing and displaying content supplied from the content retaining device, via a network, the computer program comprising:

program code for a predetermined-range determination process of determining a reproduction device located in a predetermined range based on the computer, from among a plurality of reproduction devices reproducing and displaying content supplied from a content retaining device retaining the content;

program code for a reproduction device designating process of designating at least one reproduction device from among the plurality of reproduction devices which are determined to be located in the predetermined range by the predetermined-range determination process; and

program code for a reproduction instruction process of instructing the reproduction device designated by the reproduction device designating process to obtain the content retained by the content retaining device via a network and to reproduce and display the content;

wherein the predetermined-range determination process includes;

a wireless communication process of performing wireless communication with the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction devices via a base station;

a belonging destination process of identifying the base station to which the control device currently belongs while performing the wireless communication via the wireless communication process;

a base station information process of preliminarily storing base station information which associates the plurality of reproduction devices with base stations to which respective reproduction devices belong during the wireless communication, respectively; and

a registered base station process of identifying the base station which matches the base station identified by the belonging destination process, from among the base stations registered in the base station information, to which the reproduction devices belong, and

wherein the predetermined-range determination process determines the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction devices corresponding to the base station identified by the registered base station process, to be located in the predetermined range, among the reproduction devices registered in the base station information.

9. A reproduction system comprising a content retaining device configured to retain content, a plurality of reproduction devices configured to reproduce and display content supplied from the content retaining device, and a control device configured to control the content retaining device and the plurality of reproduction devices, connected with one another via a network,

wherein the control device includes:

a predetermined-range determination unit configured to determine the reproduction device located in a predetermined range base on the control device;

a reproduction device designating unit configured to designate at least one reproduction device from among the plurality of reproduction devices determined to be located in the predetermined range by the predetermined-range determination unit; and

a reproduction instruction unit configured to instruct the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction units designated by the reproduction device designating unit to obtain the content retained by the content retaining device via the network, and to reproduce and display the content;

wherein each of the content retained by the content retaining device includes content attribute information indicating an attribute owned by the content;

wherein the reproduction device designating unit includes;

an association information storing unit configured to preliminarily store association information associating a plurality of attributes for classifying the content with the plurality of reproduction devices configured to reproduce and display the content having these attributes by priority, respectively;

an attribute information acquiring unit configured to acquire the content attribute information via the network; and

a reproduction device identifying unit configured to identify the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction devices corresponding to the attribute indicated by the content attribute information acquired by the attribute information acquiring unit, in the association information, and

wherein the reproduction device designating unit designates the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction devices identified by the reproduction device identifying unit.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with a computer program executed by a computer apparatus that causes a control device to control a content retaining device retaining content and a plurality of reproduction devices reproducing and displaying content supplied from the content retaining device, via a network, the computer program comprising:

program code for a predetermined-range determination process of determining a reproduction device located in a predetermined range based on the computer, from among the plurality of reproduction devices reproducing and displaying content supplied from a content retaining device retaining the content;

program code for a reproduction device designating process of designating at least one reproduction device from among the plurality of reproduction devices which are determined to be located in the predetermined range by the predetermined-range determination process; and

program code for a reproduction instruction process of instructing the reproduction device designated by the reproduction device designating process to obtain the content retained by the content retaining device via a network and to reproduce and display the content;

wherein each of the content retained by the content retaining device includes content attribute information indicating an attribute owned by the content;

wherein the reproduction-device designating process includes;

an association information process of preliminarily storing association information associating a plurality of attributes for classifying the content with the plurality of reproduction devices configured to reproduce and display the content having these attributes by priority, respectively;

an attribute information acquiring process of acquiring the content attribute information via the network; and

a reproduction device process of identifying the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction devices corresponding to the attribute indicated by the content attribute information acquired by the attribute information acquiring process, in the association information, and

wherein the reproduction-device designating process designates the reproduction device of the plurality of reproduction devices identified by the reproduction device process.