Patent ID: 9412415
Filing Date: 2016-08-09
CPC Classification: G11B,H04N

Claim Text:
1. A content synchronization system comprising: a plurality of content playback devices configured to play a content; and a content-synchronization control device for synchronizing content control with the plurality of content playback devices, wherein the content-synchronization control device comprises: a request information reception unit implemented at least by hardware including a processor configured to receive, from each content playback device, request information for requesting each content playback device to execute a playback control command which is a command concerning playback control of the content in a synchronized manner; an inquiry reception unit implemented at least by hardware including a processor configured to receive an inquiry for determining presence/absence of playback control command transmitted to the content playback device from each content playback device; an inquiry response transmission unit implemented at least by hardware including a processor configured to transmit an inquiry response which is a response in reply to the inquiry to the content playback device of the source of transmission of the inquiry; a response control unit implemented at least by hardware including a processor configured to cause the inquiry response transmission unit to wait transmission of the inquiry response in reply to the inquiry for a certain period of time since reception of the inquiry, and when a certain period of time passes since reception of the inquiry and the waiting state of the transmission of the inquiry response in reply to the inquiry is to be cancelled, the waiting state of the transmission of all the inquiry responses is cancelled; and a start time determination unit implemented at least by hardware including a processor configured to determine a start time when each content playback device starts the content control in accordance with the playback control command indicated by the request information received by the request information reception unit, wherein when the request information reception unit receives the request information, the response control unit cancels the waiting state of the transmission of each inquiry response when the following condition is satisfied: the transmission of each inquiry response to each content playback device is kept waiting, and when the condition is satisfied and the waiting state of the transmission of each inquiry response to each content playback device is cancelled, the inquiry response transmission unit transmits the inquiry response including the playback control information including the information about the start time determined with regard to the playback control command and the playback control command indicated by the request information, each content playback device comprises: a request information transmission unit implemented at least by hardware including a processor configured to transmit the request information to the content-synchronization control device; an inquiry transmission unit implemented at least by hardware including a processor configured to transmit the inquiry to the content-synchronization control device; an inquiry response reception unit implemented at least by hardware including a processor configured to receive the inquiry response transmitted by the inquiry response transmission unit in reply to the inquiry; and a playback control unit implemented at least by hardware including a processor, wherein when the inquiry response includes playback control information, the playback control unit starts the content control in accordance with the playback control command indicated by the playback control information, at the start time indicated by the playback control information, wherein the inquiry transmission unit transmits the inquiry again when the inquiry response reception unit receives the inquiry response.