Content providing apparatus, content providing system, web site changing apparatus, web site changing system, content providing method, and web site changing method
First Claim
1. A content providing apparatus comprising:
- a memory in which a plurality of pieces of content are divided into a plurality of groups based on related attributes and are stored, the groups being part of a hierarchical data structure and corresponding to a same level within the hierarchical data structure;
input detection means for detecting a first input from a user;
providing means for providing a first content to the user; and
provided-content changing means for selecting, from the plurality of pieces of content stored in the memory, a second content belonging to a different group than the first content, and causing the providing means to provide the second content to the user in response to the first input being detected by the input detection means in a state in which the first content is provided to the user such that the user specifies that a change of group is desired but does not specify the different group,the apparatus having a first operation button that performs operations of switching on a power supply of the apparatus in response to the first button being depressed during a power supply off state, switching from a content belonging to a first of the groups to another content belonging to the first group in response to the first button being depressed during a power supply on state and the depression is not a long depression, and switching from a content belonging to a first group to a content belonging to a second group in response to the first button being depressed during a power supply on state and the button is depressed two times continuously,a server stores content provision history for the apparatus and analyzes the content provision history to determine a preference tendency for the user, andthe preference tendency is reflected in the selection of the second content,dividing the plurality of pieces of content into a plurality of groups is performed according to a rule and the rule changed by the user through use of the first button, the rule being changed in response to a three-time continuous operation of the button,the apparatus having a second operation button, the provided-content changing means selecting the second content other than the first content currently being provided from the plurality of pieces of content stored in the content storage section and providing the second content to the user in response to the input detection means detecting a first one of the two different operations of the second operation button, andthe provided-content changing means sequentially providing a portion of each of a plurality of pieces of content belonging to the differing group in response to the input detection means detecting a second one of the two different operations of the second operation button.
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Abstract
Apparatus in which, with respect to a vague search request, content, such as a musical piece matching a user'"'"'s mood at that time, can easily be searched for with a simple operation. A content providing apparatus includes a content storage section in which a plurality of pieces of content are grouped and stored. In a state in which content read from the content storage section is provided to the user, when a user input detection device detects a specific input by the user, desired content other than the provided content among the content belonging to the same group as the content being provided belongs or the content belonging to a group differing from the group to which the content being provided belongs is selected from a plurality of pieces of content stored in the content storage section, and the content is provided to the user.
24 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A content providing apparatus comprising:
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a memory in which a plurality of pieces of content are divided into a plurality of groups based on related attributes and are stored, the groups being part of a hierarchical data structure and corresponding to a same level within the hierarchical data structure; input detection means for detecting a first input from a user; providing means for providing a first content to the user; and provided-content changing means for selecting, from the plurality of pieces of content stored in the memory, a second content belonging to a different group than the first content, and causing the providing means to provide the second content to the user in response to the first input being detected by the input detection means in a state in which the first content is provided to the user such that the user specifies that a change of group is desired but does not specify the different group, the apparatus having a first operation button that performs operations of switching on a power supply of the apparatus in response to the first button being depressed during a power supply off state, switching from a content belonging to a first of the groups to another content belonging to the first group in response to the first button being depressed during a power supply on state and the depression is not a long depression, and switching from a content belonging to a first group to a content belonging to a second group in response to the first button being depressed during a power supply on state and the button is depressed two times continuously, a server stores content provision history for the apparatus and analyzes the content provision history to determine a preference tendency for the user, and the preference tendency is reflected in the selection of the second content, dividing the plurality of pieces of content into a plurality of groups is performed according to a rule and the rule changed by the user through use of the first button, the rule being changed in response to a three-time continuous operation of the button, the apparatus having a second operation button, the provided-content changing means selecting the second content other than the first content currently being provided from the plurality of pieces of content stored in the content storage section and providing the second content to the user in response to the input detection means detecting a first one of the two different operations of the second operation button, and the provided-content changing means sequentially providing a portion of each of a plurality of pieces of content belonging to the differing group in response to the input detection means detecting a second one of the two different operations of the second operation button. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A Web site changing apparatus comprising:
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a memory in which uniform resource locators (URLs) of a plurality of groups of Web sites are stored, the groups being part of a hierarchical data structure and corresponding to a same level within the hierarchical data structure; input detection means for detecting a first input from a user; and URL changing means for reading, from the memory, the URL of another Web site other than a Web site currently being presented among the URLs of the Web sites belonging to a group differing from the Web site being presented, accessing an associated URL, and shifting to a state in which the page of the another Web site is presented when the input detection means detects the first input when one page of the Web site is presented to a user, the Web site changing being performed such that the user specifies that a change of group is desired but does not specify the differing group, and the apparatus having a first operation button that performs operations of switching on a power supply of the apparatus in response to the first button being depressed during a power supply off state, switching from a Web site belonging to a first of the groups to another Web site belonging to the first group in response to the first button being depressed during a power supply on state and the depression is not a long depression, and switching from a Web site belonging to a first group to a Web site belonging to a second group in response to the first button being depressed during a power supply on state and the button is depressed two times continuously, a server stores content provision history for the apparatus and analyzes the content provision history to determine a preference tendency for the user, and the preference tendency is reflected in the presentation of the another Web site, the plurality of groups of Web sites are formed according to a rule and the rule changed by the user through use of the first button, the rule being changed in response to a three-time continuous operation of the button, the apparatus having a second operation button, the URL changing means switching from presenting the page of the Web site belonging to the first group to presenting the page of the Web site belonging to the second group in response to the input detection means detecting a first one of the two different operations of the second operation button, and the URL changing means sequentially presenting a page of each of a plurality of Web sites belonging to the differing group in response to the input detection means detecting a second one of the two different operations of the second operation button. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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23. A content providing method for reading content from a content storage section of an apparatus in which a plurality of pieces of content are stored in such a manner as to be divided into a plurality of groups and for providing the content to a user, the groups being part of a hierarchical data structure and corresponding to a same level within the hierarchical data structure, the content providing method comprising the steps of:
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selecting, from content stored in the content storage section, a second content belonging to a group differing from a group to which a first content being provided belongs when a first input by a user is detected in a state in which one of the pieces of content is provided to the user; providing the second content to the user, the method being performed such that the user specifies that a change of group is desired but does not specify the differing group; switching on a power supply of the apparatus in response to a first operation button being depressed during a power supply off state, switching from a content belonging to a first of the groups to another content belonging to the first group in response to the first button being depressed during a power supply on state of the apparatus and the depression is not a long depression; switching from a content belonging to a first group to a content belonging to a second group in response to the first button being depressed during a power supply on state and the button is depressed two times continuously; wherein a server stores content provision history for the apparatus and analyzes the content provision history to determine a preference tendency for the user, the preference tendency is reflected in the selection of the second content, and dividing the plurality of pieces of content into a plurality of groups is performed according to a rule and the rule changed by the user through use of the first button, the rule being changed in response to a three-time continuous operation of the button; selecting the second content other than the first content currently being provided from the plurality of pieces of content stored in the content storage section and providing the second content to the user in response detecting a first one of the two different operations of a second operation button; and sequentially providing a portion of each of a plurality of pieces of content belonging to the differing group in response to detecting a second one of the two different operations of the second operation button.
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24. A Web site changing method for changing a page of a Web site to be presented to a user of an apparatus to the page of the Web site of a URL read from a URL storage section in which URLs of a plurality of groups of Web sites are stored, the groups being part of a hierarchical data structure and corresponding to a same level within the hierarchical data structure, the Web site changing method comprising the steps of:
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reading, from the URL storage section, the URL of a second Web site other than a first Web site currently being presented from among the URLs of the Web sites belonging to a group different from the first Web site when a first input by a user is detected when one page of the Web site is presented;
accessing the read URL;shifting to a state in which the page of the second Web site is presented, the Web site changing being performed such that the user specifies that a change of group is desired but does not specify the differing group; switching on a power supply of the apparatus in response to a first operation button is depressed during a power supply off state; switching from a Web site belonging to a first of the groups to another Web site belonging to the first group in response to the first button being depressed during a power supply on state and the depression is not a long depression; switching from a Web site belonging to a first group to a Web site belonging to a second group in response to the first button being depressed during a power supply on state and the button is depressed two times continuously, wherein a server stores content provision history for the apparatus and analyzes the content provision history to determine a preference tendency for the user, and the preference tendency is reflected in the presentation of the second Web site, and the plurality of groups of Web sites are formed according to a rule and the rule changed by the user through use of the first button, the rule being changed in response to a three-time continuous operation of the button; switching from presenting the page of the Web site belonging to the first group to presenting the page of the Web site belonging to the second group in response to detecting a first one of two different operations of a second operation button, and sequentially presenting a page of each of a plurality of Web sites belonging to the differing group in response to detecting a second one of the two different operations of the second operation button.
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Specification