Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7139626?dq=5579430
Timestamp: 2014-09-01 13:42:26
Document Index: 616258549

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 106', 'art 107', 'art 106', 'art 107', 'art 107', 'art 107', 'art 107', 'art 107', 'art 107', 'art 107', 'art 107', 'art 203', 'art 203', 'art 203', 'art 203', 'art 203', 'art 203', 'art 203', 'art 203', 'art 207', 'art 207', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1']

Patent US7139626 - Portable viewing/listening system - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign in<nobr>Advanced Patent Search</nobr>PatentsA main device receives program data provided through broadcasting, internally stores the received program data, and transfers the stored program data to a portable device. Herein, one program data is constituted by a plurality of program components (video, audio, closed caption, and the like). The main...http://www.google.com/patents/US7139626?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7139626 - Portable viewing/listening systemAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7139626 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 11/188,622Publication dateNov 21, 2006Filing dateJul 26, 2005Priority dateApr 3, 1998Fee statusPaidAlso published asCN1128542C, CN1262841A, DE69938700D1, EP0987888A1, EP0987888A4, EP0987888B1, US6959221, US20050256596, WO1999052278A1Publication number11188622, 188622, US 7139626 B2, US 7139626B2, US-B2-7139626, US7139626 B2, US7139626B2InventorsMitsuteru KataokaOriginal AssigneeMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (9), Referenced by (4), Classifications (55), Legal Events (2) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetPortable viewing/listening systemUS 7139626 B2Abstract A main device receives program data provided through broadcasting, internally stores the received program data, and transfers the stored program data to a portable device. Herein, one program data is constituted by a plurality of program components (video, audio, closed caption, and the like). The main device assigns transfer priorities to each program component constituting one program data, and then discretely transfers the program components respectively in the direction of a time axis in the order of the assigned transfer priorities. By discretely transferring data, some of the program components may possibly be entirely transferred to the portable device even when data transfer is discontinued in a short time. Therefore, users can enjoy the entire program by playing-back the already-transferred program components.
1. A main device which is used in a state of being fixedly or semi-fixedly installed and which is used to transfer any received program data to an easy-to-carry portable device, said main device comprising:
demultiplexing means for demultiplexing the program data received by said receiving means into program components, each program component representing data of a multimedia type and spanning a same play-back length as the program data;
transfer priority assigning means for assigning a transfer priority and class to each program component constituting the program data stored in said primary storing means;
transfer priority defining means for previously defining default transfer priorities to each type of the program components; and
transferring means for discretely transferring, to the portable device, each of the program components of the program data stored in said primary storing means in the direction of a time axis in order of the transfer priority assigned by said transfer priority means to each program component of the program data stored in said primary storing means, wherein:
said transfer priority assigning means assigns the default transfer priorities to each of the program components in accordance with a definition provided by said transfer priority defining means;
when no program component in the same class has a value that is defined as being top transfer priority therein, said transfer priority assigning means changes a value of a program component which is currently assigned the highest transfer priority in the class to the value that is defined as being the top transfer priority therein.
2. The main device according to claim 1, wherein said transfer priority assigning means assigns transfer priorities to each of the program components in such a manner that a program component with a lesser amount of data has a higher transfer priority.
3. The main device according to claim 1, wherein, when a plurality of the program data stored in said primary storing means is collectively transferred to said portable device, said transferring means selects any program component having the same transfer priority from each of the program data, combines the selected program components into a unit, and then discretely transfers the combined unit in the direction of the time axis in order of the transfer priority assigned to each combined unit.
4. The main device according to claim 3, wherein said transfer priority assigning means checks each class for the default transfer priorities assigned to each of the program components by said transfer priority assigning means, and then changes, in accordance with a result of the check, the default transfer priority assigned to each of the program components on a class basis, as required.
5. The main device according to claim 1, further comprising program component generating means for generating a new program component from the program components of the program data received by said receiving means,
wherein said storing means adds the new program component generated by said program component generating means to the program data received by said receiving means, and stores the received program data having the new program component added thereto.
6. A method of transferring program data received by a fixedly or semi-fixedly installed main device to an easy-to-carry portable device, said method comprising:
receiving program data provided through broadcasting;
demultiplexing the program data received in said receiving of the program data into program components, each program component representing data of a multimedia type and spanning a same play-back length as the program data;
storing the program components constituting the program data received in said receiving of the program data;
assigning a transfer priority and class to each program component constituting the program data stored in said storing of the program data;
previously defining default transfer priorities to each type of the program components;
discretely transferring, to the portable device, each of the program components of the stored program data in the direction of a time axis in order of the transfer priority assigned to each program component of the stored program data, wherein:
said assigning of the transfer priority and class assigns the default transfer priorities to each of the program components in accordance with a definition provided in said previously defining of the default transfer priorities;
program components of the program data which are replaceable with each other during play-back are assigned in a same class; and
when no program component in the same class has a value that is defined as being top transfer priority therein, said assigning of the transfer priority and class changes a value of the program component which is currently assigned the highest priority in the class to the value that is defined as being the top transfer priority therein.
This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 09/432,389, filed on Nov. 8, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,959,221 which is a national stage application of International Application No. PCT/JP99/01715, filed on Apr. 1, 1999.
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to portable viewing/listening systems, and more particularly to a portable viewing/listening system in which program data that is received by a fixedly or semi-fixedly installed main device is transferred to an easy-to-carry portable device so as to be played-back in the portable device and thereby provide a user of the portable device with the program data.
BACKGROUND ART Thanks to multi-channeled broadcast and developing video services through communications, the number of programs which are available for general users has been increasing. However, the users' spare-time for watching the programs is limited within a day. Accordingly, the users cannot always watch every program that they are interested in.
FIG. 18( c) shows a case where a transfer of program data is discontinued halfway at Time to in the conventional portable viewing/listening system. In this example, the Time ta is assumed to satisfy t7<ta<t8. As transfer of the program data is discontinued in the middle of the Program 2 between Time t7 and Time t8, the entire data of the Program 1 and a partial amount of the data of the Program 2 from its beginning to Time ta is transferred to the portable device. However, as to the remaining portion of the data of the Program 2 and the entire data of the Program 3, none of the program components, i.e., closed caption, audio and video, included therein is transferred to the conventional portable viewing/listening system. As to the not-transferred part of data, the portable device does not inform the users what the non-transferred data is. Therefore, the users cannot even know whether or not the non-transferred data is interesting enough to watch.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a portable viewing/listening system which guarantees the minimum play-back quality that is required for the users on the portable device side even when data transfer from the main device to the portable device is discontinued in a short time.
receiving means for receiving program data that is provided through broadcasting;
primary storing means for storing the program data received by the receiving means;
transfer priority assigning means for assigning transfer priorities to each program component constituting the program data that is stored in the primary storing means; and
transferring means for discretely transferring, to the portable device, each of the program components of the program data that is stored in the primary storing means in the direction of a time axis in the order of the assigned transfer priorities.
The portable device of the first aspect comprises:
secondary storing means for storing the program components to be discretely transferred from the transferring means;
re-constructing means for re-constructing program data included in any program that is desired to played-back from the program components which are stored in the secondary storing means; and
playing-back means for playing-back the program data that is re-constructed by the re-constructing means.
As described above, in the first aspect, each program component constituting the program data simultaneously received by the main device is assigned a transfer priority, and the program components are discretely transferred, to the portable device, in the direction of the time axis in the order of the assigned transfer priorities. Therefore, even if data transfer from the main device to the portable device is discontinued in a short time (i.e., prematurely), there is a high possibility that some of the program components are entirely transferred to the portable device. Accordingly, the users can enjoy, albeit incomplete, the entire program by playing-back the already-transferred program components.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the first aspect, the transfer priority assigning means assigns transfer priorities to each of the program components in such a manner that a program component with a smaller amount of data has a higher transfer priority.
As described above, in the second aspect, any program component having a smaller amount of data has a higher transfer priority from the main device to the portable device. This means that a length of time which is taken to transfer the program component having the higher transfer priority is shorter. Consequently, if data transfer is presumably discontinued in the system of the present invention and in the conventional one at the same time, the number of program components which are successfully transferred to the portable device in the system of the present invention is larger.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the second aspect, the main device further comprises transfer priority defining means for previously defining transfer priorities by default to every type of the program components, and the transfer priority assigning means assigns, in accordance with a definition provided by the transfer priority defining means, the transfer priorities by default to each of the program components.
As described above, in the third aspect, each of the program components is assigned, in the main device, the transfer priorities by default according to the type thereof. Therefore, the program components can be transferred in an order which is appropriately determined by the characteristics thereof.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the fourth aspect, types of the program components are classified into a plurality of classes by the transfer priority defining means. Further, the transfer priority assigning means checks every class for the transfer priorities by default which are assigned to each of the program components, and then changes, in accordance with a result of the check, the transfer priorities by default which are assigned to each of the program components on a class basis, as required.
As described above, in the fifth aspect, the types of the program components are classified into a plurality of classes, and the transfer priorities are checked on a class basis before making a change, if any. Therefore, the transfer priorities can be managed on a class basis.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the fifth aspect, when no program component in the same class has a value which is defined as being a top transfer priority therein, the transfer priority assigning means changes a value of a program component being currently the highest transfer priority in the class to the value which is defined as being the top priority therein.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the first aspect, the main device further comprises program component generating means for generating a new program component from the program components of the program data received by the receiving means, and the storing means adds the program component that is newly generated by the program component generating means to the program data received by the receiving means and stores the same.
As described above, in the seventh aspect, another program component can be newly generated from the received program components and transferred. It is effective for a case where the received program data is hierarchically encoded into a plurality of layers so that the program components in the respective layers are transferred, or for a case where the received detailed video is decimated to generate and transfer a non-detailed video.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the first aspect, when any data of the program component of the program data that is re-constructed by the re-constructing means is discontinued halfway during play-back by the playing-back means, the portable device further comprises replacing means for having any other program component being not currently played-back to play-back as a replacement.
As described above, in the eighth aspect, the program component which was not entirely played-back due to the discontinued data transfer is replaced by any other program component to be played-back. Therefore, the users can enjoy the entire program. According to a ninth aspect, in the eighth aspect, the program component which was not entirely played-back due to the discontinued data transfer is replaced by any other program component to play-back. Therefore, the users can enjoy the entire program.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the eighth aspect, the protable device further comprises prentation priority defining means for previously defining presentation priorities to each type of the program components, and the replacing means determines a program component to be played-back as a replacement in accordance with the definition that is provided by the presentation priority defining means.
As described above, in the ninth aspect, the portable device is set to determine the program component as a replacement in accordance with the presentation priorities which are defined to every type of the program components. Therefore, the program components can be replaced to be played-back in an order which is suitably determined by the characteristics thereof.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the ninth aspect, types of the program components are classified into a plurality of classes by the presentation priority defining means, and the replacing means determines a program component to be played-back as a replacement from among the program components belonging to the same class as does the program component discontinued during play-back.
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the first aspect, the main device and the portable device are structured to be electrically interconnectable, and the transferring means online-transfers each program component of the program data that is stored in the primary storing means directly to the portable device.
As described above, in the eleventh aspect, the main device and the portable device are electrically interconnectable. Consequently, program data can be transferred on-line.
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the eleventh aspect, the main device further comprises attaching means for allowing the portable device to be electrically connected, and charging means for supplying power to charge the portable device when the portable device is attached to the attaching means. Further, according to the twelfth aspect the portable device also comprises a battery to be charged by the power which is supplied from the charging device.
According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the first aspect, the transferring means offline-transfers each program component of the program data that is stored in the primary storing means to the portable device through a recording medium.
As described above, in the thirteenth aspect, data can be off-line transferred from the main device to the portable device through a recording medium. Therefore, such a structure eases restrictions which are imposed on the physical layout of the main device and the portable device. Furthermore, a plurality of recording media will increase a substantial memory capacity.
According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the thirteenth aspect, the main device further comprises writing means for writing any program component to be transferred to the portable device into the recording medium, and the portable device further comprises reading means for reading the program component that is recorded in the recording medium.
A sixteenth aspect of the present invention is directed to a main device which is used in a state of being fixedly or semi-fixedly installed, and which is used to transfer any received program data to an easy-tocarry portable device. The main device of the sixteenth aspect comprises:
As described above, in the sixteenth aspect, each of the program components constituting program data simultaneously received is assigned a transfer priority, and the program components are discretely transferred, to the portable device, in the direction of the time axis in the order of the assigned transfer priorities. Therefore, even when data transfer to the portable device is discontinued in a short time, some of the program components may possibly be entirely transferred thereto. Accordingly, the users can enjoy the whole program, albeit incomplete, by playing-back the already-transferred program components.
According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the sixteenth aspect, the transfer priority assigning means assigns transfer priorities to each program component in such a manner that a program component with a smaller amount of data has a higher transfer priority.
As described above, in the seventeenth aspect, any program component having a smaller amount of data has the higher transfer priority. This means that a length of time which is taken to transfer the program component having the higher transfer priority is shorter. Consequently, if data transfer is presumably discontinued in the system of the present invention and in the conventional one at the same time, the number of program components that are successfully transferred to the portable device in the system of the present invention is larger.
According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the seventeenth aspect, the main device further comprises transfer priority defining means for previously defining transfer priorities by default to each type of the program components, and the transfer priority assigning means assigns the transfer priorities by default to each of the program components in accordance with a definition which is provided by the transfer priority defining means.
As described above, in the eighteenth aspect, each of the program components is assigned the transfer priorities by default according to the type thereof. Therefore, the program components can be transferred in an order that is appropriately determined by the characteristics thereof.
According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in accordnace with the eighteenth aspect, when the plurality of program data stored in the primary storing means are collectively transferred to the portable device, the transferring means selects any program component having the same transfer priority from each of the program data, combines the selected program components into a unit, and then discretely transfers the combined unit in the direction of the time axis in the order of the transfer priorities which are assigned to every combined unit.
As described above, in the nineteenth aspect, when a plurality of program data are collectively transferred to the portable device, the data is not transferred on a program basis but instead on a transfer priority basis. That is, the program components having the same transfer priority are selected from the respective program data, the selected program components are combined to a unit, and then the combined unit is transferred in the order of the transfer priorities which are assigned to every combined unit. Therefore, the programs are assigned transfer priorities in a fair manner, and as a result, variation in arriving time of the programs can be prevented.
According to a twentieth aspect of the present invnetion, in accordance with the nineteenth aspect, types of the program components are classified into a plurality of classes by the transfer priority defining means. Further, the transfer priority assigning means checks every class for the transfer priorities by default which are assigned to each of the program components, and then changes, in accordance with a result of the check, the transfer priorities by default which are assigned to each of the program components on a class basis, as required.
As described above, in the twentieth aspect, the types of the program components are classified into a plurality of classes, and the transfer priorities are checked on a class basis before making a change, if any. Therefore, the transfer priorities can be managed on a class basis.
According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the twentieth aspect, when no program component in the same class has a value which is defined as being a top transfer priority therein, the transfer priority assigning means changes a value of a program component being currently the highest transfer priority in the class to the value which is defined as being the top priority therein.
As described above, in the twenty-first aspect, even when the types of the program components in the same class are varying, some of the program components are managed to reach the portable device when the first unit for each class is transferred.
According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the sixteenth aspect, the main device further comprises program component generating means for generating a new program component from the program components of the program data received by the receiving means. Further, according to the twenty-second aspect, the storing means adds the program component that is newly generated by the program component generating means to the program data received by the receiving means, and stores the same.
As described above, in the twenty-second aspect, another program component can be newly generated from the received program components and is transferred. It is effective for a case where the received program data is hierarchically encoded into a plurality of layers so that the program components in the respective layers are transferred, or for a case where the received detailed video is decimated to generate and transfer a non-detail video.
secondary storing means for storing each program component of the program data to be discretely transferred from the main device;
re-constructing means for re-constructing program data of a program that is desired to be played-back from the program components stored in the secondary storing means; and
As described above, in the twenty-third aspect, in a case where the program components of the program data are discretely transmitted from the main device, the program data that is included in any program which is desired to be played-back can be re-constructed from the received program components and is played-back.
According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the twenty-third aspect, when data of the program component of the program data which is re-constructed by the re-constructing means is discontinued halfway during play-back by the playing-back means, the portable device further comprises replacing means for having any other program component being not currently played-back to be played-back as a replacement.
As described above, in the twenty-fourth aspect, the program component which was not entirely played-back due to a discontinued data transfer is replaced by any other program component to be played-back. Therefore, the users can enjoy the entire program.
According to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the twenty-fourth aspect, the portable device further comprises presentation priority defining means for previously defining presentation priorities to each type of the program components, and the replacing means determines a program component to be played-back as a replacement in accordance with a definition which is provided by the presentation priority defining means.
As described above, in the twenty-fifth aspect, the portable device is set to determine the program component as a replacement in accordance with the presentation priorities which are defined to every type of the program components. Therefore, the program components can be replaced to be played-back in an order which is suitably determined by the characteristics thereof.
According to a twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the twenty-fifth aspect, types of the program components are classified into a plurality of classes by the presentation priority defining means, and the replacing means determines a program component to be played-back as a replacement from among the program components belonging to the same class as does the program component that is discontinued during play-back.
A twenty-seventh aspect of the present invention is directed to a method of transferring program data that is received by a fixedly or semi-fixedly installed main device to an easy-to-carry portable device. The method comprises the steps of:
receiving program data that is provided through broadcasting;
storing the received program data;
assigning transfer priorities to each program component constituting the stored program data; and
discretely transferring, to the portable device, each of the program components of the stored program data in the direction of a time axis in the order of the assigned transfer priorities.
As described above, in the twenty-seventh aspect, each program component constituting the program data that is simultaneously received by the main device is assigned a transfer priority, and the program components are discretely transferred, to the portable device, in the direction of the time axis in the order of the assigned transfer priorities. Therefore, even if data transfer from the main device to the portable device is discontinued in a short time (i.e., prematurely), there is a high possibility that some of the program components are entirely transferred to the portable device. Accordingly, the users can enjoy, albeit incomplete, the entire program by playing-back the alreadytransferred program components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of a portable viewing/listening system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Outline of the System
The storage managing part 106 and the storage part 107 are interconnected, and the storage managing part 106 controls information writing and reading with respect to the storage part 107 under the control of the CPU 113. The storage part 107 is constituted by a relatively large-capacity storage device using a hard disk or DVD-RAM, for example. The storage part 107 stores program data.
FIG. 2 is a diagram exemplarily showing the structure of a storage list to be stored in the memory 112 of the main device 1. This storage list is data for managing the program data which is stored in the storage part 107 of the main device 1, and is tablestructured. Specifically, each line of the table represents a single program component for a particular program. The storage list of FIG. 2 exemplarily shows that the storage part 107 stores eight program components in total. Each line of the table includes four attributes of event_id, type, size, and transfer priority.
The attribute �event_id� is attribute information for identifying the programs. In this example, for the sake of simplicity, event_id for the Program 1, Program 2 and Program 3 are assumed to be 0x0001, 0x0002, 0x0003, respectively. Herein, �0x� indicates that a hexadecimal digital follows.
The attribute �type� is attribute information for single program component for identifying the types of program components. Characters �C�, �A�, and �V� which are found in the storage list of FIG. 2 respectively represent Closed Caption, Audio and Video. Digest video represented by �D� is further included therein. This will be described later.
The attribute �size� indicates a size of the area in the storage part 107 that is occupied by the corresponding program component. A size unit herein may simply be a bite, or a block which is represented by the number of blocks in a given size.
The attribute �transfer priority� is attribute information which is used to determine in which order the program components are transferred when the program data is transferred from the main device 1 to the portable device 2. In this example, the smaller value has the higher priority.
Among the attributes in FIG. 2, when the program is received, event_id, type and size can be obtained from the information that is transmitted as additional information for the program. The transfer priorities are established when the transfer processing of at least one program is executed.
First, the CPU 113 selects a first program from among the programs which are stored in the storage part 107 (step S1O1). The storage list (see FIG. 2) which is stored in the memory 112 is referred to so as to know what programs are stored in the storage part 107. Taking the storage list of FIG. 2 as an example, �Program 1� is the program to be selected first from the stored data of the Program 1, Program 2, and Program 3. Thereafter, the CPU 113 judges whether or not any program was selected in step S101 (step 5102). In this example, since �Program 1� was selected in step 5101, the CPU 113 goes to step S103.
By referring to FIG. 4, the CPU 113 sequentially selects the program components constituting the target program (first �Program 1� in this example) that is selected in step S101 (step S201). Thereafter, the CPU 113 judges whether or not any program component was selected in step S201 (step S202). If yes, the CPU 113 provides the program component that is selected in step S201 with an applicable default value which is predetermined for every type of program components as a transfer priority (step S203).
In step S204, the CPU 113 selects the classes that are defined in the transfer priority table of FIG. 5 in the given order. In this example, two classes of �script� and �display� are defined in the transfer priority table of FIG. 5. Accordingly, in step S204, either one of the �script� or �display� is initially selected, the other one is selected second, and a third selection results in no class being selected. Thereafter, the CPU 113 judges whether or not any class was selected in step S204 (step 5205). If yes, the CPU 113 then judges whether or not the program component that is defined in the selected class as being a top transfer priority is included in the target program (step S206). By referring to the transfer priority table in FIG. 5, for example, one of the program components which is classified in the class of �script� is in type �C� with a transfer priority of �1�, and the other program component is in type �A� with a transfer priority of �2�. It means, in the class of �script�, the program component in type �C� is defined as being the top priority. Similarly, as to the program components which are classified in the class of �display�, the program component in type �D� is assigned with a transfer priority of �3�, and thus is defined as being the top priority in the class of �display�. Therefore, according to the definition of the transfer priority table of FIG. 5, in step S206, the CPU 113 judges whether or not the target program includes any program component in type �C� when the currently selected class is �script�. On the other hand, when the currently selected class is �display�, the CPU 113 judges whether or not the target program includes any program component in type �D�.
When the target program has no program component which is defined as being the top transfer priority in the selected class, the CPU 113 selects any program component having the highest transfer priority next to the top priority, and updates the priority value thereof to a value which is defined as being the top priority in the class (step S207). In a case where the class of �script� is currently selected and each program component that is included in the target program is in type �A�, the transfer priority for the program component in type �A� is updated from the default value of �2� to �1�, which is defined as being the top priority in the class. Similarly, in a case where the class of �display� is currently selected and each program component that is included in the target program is in type �V�, the transfer priority for the program component in type �V� is updated from the default value of �4� to �3�, which is defined as being the top priority in the class. Each update in step S207 is reflected in the storage list of FIG. 2. That is, any applicable transfer priority for the program component in the storage list is updated. Thereafter, the CPU 113 returns to step S204. Note that, when the target program has any program component which is defined as being the top transfer priority in the selected class, the CPU 113 returns to step S204 without updating any transfer priority.
In step S104, the CPU 113 initially sets a count value N of a counter which indicates a transfer priority (hereinafter, refers to as transfer priority counter) to a value of �1� indicating the top transfer priority (step S104). Then, the CPU 113 judges whether or not the count value N of the transfer priority counter is 5 (step S105). Herein, four values of 1, 2, 3 and 4 are available as transfer priorities in the transfer priority table in FIG. 5. Therefore, if N=5, it means that every transfer priority is completely assigned. Since N=1 at the beginning, the CPU 113 determines that N≠5, and then advances to step S106.
In step S106, the CPU 113 selects one program component whose transfer priority is N (at the beginning, N=1) from the storage list of FIG. 2. Thereafter, the CPU 113 judges whether or not any program component was selected in step S106 (step S107). If yes, the CPU 113 takes out the attribute information of �event_id�, �type�, and �size� from the line of the storage list corresponding to the program component which is selected in step S106, and then transfers the same to the portable device 2 (step S108). Then, the CPU 113 takes out main data of the program component which is selected in step S106, and transmits the same to the portable device 2 (step S109). Thereafter, the CPU 113 returns to step S106, selects another program component whose transfer priority is N from the storage list of FIG. 2, and then executes the transfer processing for the selected program component.
FIG. 6 shows the structure of a receipt list which is to be stored in the memory 208 in the portable device 2. The receipt list is data that is used to manage how the data which is stored in the storage part 203 in the portable device 2 (that is, program data that is transmitted from the main device 1) is stored, and is table-structured. The lines of the table are in a one-to-one correspondence with the program components that are stored in the storage part 203. Also, each line of the table has six attributes including receipt order, off set, size, event_id, type, and length of play-back time.
The attribute �receipt order� indicates the order in which the portable device 2 receives the data of the program components from the main device 1, and a value does not appear more than once in the receipt list. Thus, the receipt order can be used as a key for specifying lines of the receipt list.
The attribute �offset� indicates where the program components being in the one-to-one correspondence with the lines of the receipt list are located in the data that is received from the main device 1. When transfer of the entire program from the main device 1 to the portable device 2 is presumably considered a bit stream or a file, the attribute �offset� represents the number of bites from the beginning of the transfer. The value of the offset can be represented simply in a bite or the number of blocks in a given size similar to the case where the attribute �size� in the storage list of FIG. 2 matters.
The attribute �size� represents a size of an area in the storage part 203 of the portable device 2 which is occupied by the program components being in the one-to-one correspondence with the lines of the receipt list. The attribute �size� is also represented in a similar unit to the attribute �offset�.
The attribute �event_id� is attribute information that is used to identify to which program the program components being in the one-to-one correspondence with the lines of the receipt list respectively belong.
The attribute �type� is attribute information that is used to identify the types of the program components being in the one-to-one correspondence with the lines of the receipt list.
The attribute �length of play-back time� represents the length of play-back time when the program components being in the one-to-one correspondence with the lines of the receipt lines are played-back under the same conditions. When data transfer is interrupted halfway through for some reason, the number of bites of the transferred data is less than the number of bites of the same program component which is broadcast. In such a case, the length of play-back time is assigned a length of time corresponding to the transferred data.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating how the portable device 2 is operated to receive program data that is transmitted from the main device 1 in the portable viewing/listening system of the first embodiment. The processing in FIG. 7 can be realized when the CPU 209 in the portable device 2 executes program information which is stored in the memory 208 in the portable device 2. Through the processing, the program data that is transmitted from the main device 1 is stored in the portable device 2, and the receipt list of FIG. 6 is also generated. Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 7, how the portable device 2 is operated to receive the program data transmitted from the main device 1 will be described.
First of all, the CPU 209 initializes the receipt list of FIG. 6 (step S301). The easiest way of initializing the receipt list is done by deleting every line thereof and, at the same time, deleting the program data that is stored in the storage part 203 in the portable device 2. Thereafter, the CPU 209 assigns a value of 0 to a variable current_offset, and assigns a value of 1 to a variable send_count (step S302). Then, the CPU 209 receives the attribute information of �size�, �event_id�, and �type� to be transmitted from the main device 1 (step S303). Such attribute information is the one that is transmitted in step S108 in FIG. 3. The CPU 209 then judges whether or not there is any data to receive in step S303 (step S304). If not, the CPU 209 terminates the operation, but if yes, the CPU 209 then judges whether or not an available region of the storage part 203 is sufficiently large for the value of the �size� which is obtained in step S303 (step S305). If yes, the CPU 209 goes to step S306, but if not, the CPU 209 returns to step S303.
In step S306, the CPU 209 adds a line to the receipt list of FIG. 6, and then assigns values which are obtained in step S303 to each corresponding attribute �size�, �event_id�, or �type� in the added line. Thereafter, the CPU 209 assigns the value of the variable current_offset to the attribute �offset� in the added line (step S307). The CPU 209 adds the value of �size� which is obtained in step S303 to the variable current_offset (step S308), and then assigns the value of the variable send_count to the attribute �receipt order� in the added line (step S309). The CPU 209 then increments the value of the variable send_count by 1 (step 5310). After performing step S310, the CPU 209 receives the main data of the program components that are transmitted from the main device 1, and then stores the same in the storage part 203 (step S311). Then, the CPU 209 sets the attribute �length of play-back time� (step S312). Herein, it is assumed that the main data of the program components itself includes, as additional information, a bit rate value indicating the number of data bit per unit presentation time. In this case, to convert the value of the �size� which is obtained in step S303 to the length of play-back time, the value of the �size� is divided by the bit rate that is obtained in the aforementioned manner. Note that, the value of the length of program time can be notified directly from the main device 1 as data as in the case with the �size�, for example. Next, the CPU 209 judges whether or not a receipt of program data is discontinued halfway through for some reason (step S313). If yes, the CPU 209 advances to step S314, but if no, the CPU 209 returns to step S303. Such discontinuation may include a case, for example, where the users abruptly disconnect the portable device 2 from the main device 1, and vice versa.
In step S314, the CPU 209 finds a value of the attribute �size� in the receipt list from the size of the program component which is actually stored in the storage part 203, and resets the value (step S314). Then, the CPU 209 obtains, in a similar manner to step S312, a value for the length of play-back time from the value of the attribute �size� in the receipt list, and then resets the �length of play-back time� in the receipt list (step S315). Then, the CPU 209 terminates the processing for receiving.
First, a description of a class table that is used to play-back the program is as follows. FIG. 9 is an exemplary class table. The class table is, for example, stored in the memory 208, and the CPU 209 is at liberty to access the class table. As shown in FIG. 9, lines of the class table are in a one-to-one correspondence with the types of the program components, and each line has three attributes of �type�, �class�, and �presentation priority�.
In FIG. 9, the attribute �class� shows the classified types of the program components. By taking this class table as an example, two classes of �script� and �display� are defined therein. The first and second lines thereof show that closed caption and audio are instances belonging to the same class of �script�, and the third and fourth lines thereof show that digest video and detailed video are instances belonging to the same class of �display�. The attribute �presentation priority� defines in which order the program components in varying types classified into the same class should be presented to the users. In this example, the smaller value has the higher presentation priority. Such class table is referred to to search for some other program components for replacement when the program component being played-back is interrupted halfway.
By referring to FIG. 8, the CPU 209 first executes displaying and selecting operation of the programs (step S401). To be more specific, the CPU 209 generates a list of the programs stored in the storage part 203 by referring to the receipt list of FIG. 6, and then displays the generated list on the display 205. Thereafter, the CPU 209 let the users select any program which is desired to be played-back from the displayed list. The selection of the programs is done through the user input-output part 207. When it is desired for the list of the programs displayed on the display 205 to include titles of the programs as well, data indicating the title-to-�event_id� relationship may be sent along with the titles during transmission of the program data from the main device 1 to the portable device 2. For such data indicating the relationship, additional information to be transmitted through broadcasting for the EPG (Electric Program Guide) may be used. Next, the CPU 209 extracts, from the receipt list, each program component of the program which is selected in step S401 to be played-back (step S402). Thereafter, the CPU 209 generates a list of the program components constituting the selected program according to the extraction result in step S402, and then displays the generated list on the display 205 (step S403). In response thereto, the users select one or more program component (s) to be played-back from the displayed list. The selection of the program components is done through the user input-output part 207. Then, the CPU 209 makes a preparation for concurrent play-back of all of the program components which are selected in step S403 (step S404). By concurrently playing-back the program components, lip synch can be attained, for example, which is synchronization between a speaker's lip movements in the video and audio.
In step S407, the CPU 209 selects any other program component in the same class as the program component whose play-back position has reached to the data tail but in different type in the order of presentation priorities that are defined in the class table of FIG. 9. To be more specific, the CPU 209 first extracts every program component constituting the program that is being played-back from the receipt list of FIG. 6, and then selects, from among the extracted program components, any program component belonging to the same class as the program component whose play-back position is judged to have reached to the data tail in step S406. Thereafter, the CPU 209 takes out any program component, from among the selected program components, whose presentation priority is lower than the one whose play-back position has reached to the data tail, and then selects the type of the program component whose presentation priority is the highest from among the taken-out program components. When the play-back position of the program component in type �V� presumably reaches to the data tail during play-back, the CPU 209 selects the type �D�, which is in the same class of �display� as the type �V� and which has the presentation priority lower than the type �V� but the highest among the rest.
Thereafter, the CPU 209 judges whether or not any type is selected in step S407 (step S408). If yes, the CPU 209 then judges whether or not the program component in the type which is selected in step S407 is already being played-back (step S409). This first embodiment takes a structure where the users can simultaneously select, in step S403, a plurality of program components in varying types which are classified into the same class. Therefore, the program component in the type which is selected in step S407 may possibly be already being played-back. For example, if the play-back position of the program component in type �V� reaches to the data tail when the program components in type �D� and �V� are concurrently being played-back, the data of the program component in type �D� is selected instep S407 as described above. In such a case, the CPU 209 returns to step S405 so as not to repeatedly play-back the program component in the same type, and thus does not replace the interrupted program component with others to be played-back. On the other hand, if the program component in the type which is selected in step S407 is not yet played-back, the CPU 209 replaces the interrupted program component with the program component in the selected type to be played-back (step S410). In this case, the CPU 209 does not start playing-back from the beginning of the program component in the type selected in step S407. Instead, the CPU 209 starts playing-back from the continued part of the interrupted program component. In this example, closed caption and audio are in the same class. Even if the data of audio is interrupted, closed caption thus may take the place by being playing-back from the interrupted part. In this manner, the users can enjoy the program not with audio but with closed captions. Thereafter, the CPU 209 returns to step S405.
FIG. 10( a) shows a time transition of data constituting the program to be broadcast. In FIG. 10( a), a lateral axis indicates a lapse of time during broadcast, and a vertical axis indicates a bit rate during broadcast, respectively. In detail, FIG. 10( a) shows that the Program 1 is broadcast between Time t0 and Time t1, the Program 2 is broadcast between Time t1 and Time t2, and the Program 3 is broadcast between Time t2 and Time t3, respectively. Further, the Program 1, Program 2, and Program 3 are respectively provided with audio, closed caption, and video as a program component (mono-media constituting the program). For the sake of simplicity, the length of broadcast time for the Program 2 (t2−t1) and the length of broadcast time for the Program 3 (t3−t2) are equal, and the length of broadcast time of the Program 1 (t1−t0) is exactly twice the length of broadcast time for the Program 2 (or Program 3). Further, a bit rate for the respective program components remains invariant no matter which program, and thus, a ratio among a bit rate of closed caption bc, a bit rate of audio ba, and a bit rate of video bv is always 1:2:4.
(t5−t4)=(t9−t4)�{1/(1+2+4)} (1)(t6−t5)=(t9−t4)�{2/(1+2+4)} (2)(t9−t6)=(t9−t4)�{4/(1+2+4)} (3)
t6=t4+[(t9−t4)�{(1+2)/(1+2+4)}] (4)
FIG. 10( c) shows, in the portable viewing/listening system in FIG. 1, a case where the transfer of program data is interrupted at Time ta. In this example, Time to presumably satisfies t6<to<t9. Even if the transfer of the program data is discontinued halfway through at Time ta, audio components and closed caption components for the respective programs are completely transferred by then. At this stage, in the portable device, the programs are not available in video but in closed caption and audio. This means that the users can be informed of the contents thereof to some extent. In other words, the users can enjoy every program with closed caption and audio, although not with video. In a practical sense, the bit rates of the closed caption and audio are rather high as compared to bit rates of the video. In this sense, Time t6 when every closed caption component and audio component are completely transferred possibly comes at much earlier timing than Time 9 when the program is entirely transferred with the video components. In particular, the length of time which is required for transferring the video (t9−t6) is rather long as compared to the length of time which is for transferring the closed caption components and the audio components (t6−t4). Therefore, the audio components may highly-possibly be entirely transferred even if transfer is stopped in a rather short time. Further, as is transferred in text, the bit rate of the closed caption components can be lowered to a greater extent than the bit rate of the audio components. Therefore, transfer of the closed caption components can be completed much quicker than the transfer of the audio components.
FIG. 11( a) shows a time transition for information of the program to be broadcast. This example herein is different from the example in FIG. 10( a) in that the Program 1 includes a digest video D1 in a detailed video V1, and the Program 2 does not include a closed caption C2. The bit rate without the closed caption C2 is assigned to a detailed video V2, and thus, the detailed video V2 is increased by the closed caption C2 as much as the other programs.
Thereafter, the program components in the �script� class which are not transferred before the lapse of Time t10 are transferred between Time t10 to Time t11. By being completely transferred by Time t10, the audio of the Program 2 is not transferred at this stage. The program components to be transferred between Time t10 to Time t11 are the ones having the transfer priority of 2 in the storage list of FIG. 12.
The videos are transferred between Time t11 and Time t12. In detail, the detailed video is transferred to the Programs 2 and 3, and the digest video being similar to the detailed video in the sense but having less information is transferred to the Program 1. The videos become available to some extent for every program at Time t12. The program components to be transferred between Time t11 and Time T12 are the ones having the transfer priority of 3 in the storage list of FIG. 12.
Lastly, the detailed video V1 of the Program 1 beings to be transferred from Time t12. For the transfer that is started from Time t12, the program components having the transfer priority of 4 in the storage list of FIG. 12 are transferred. It is herein assumed that the detailed video V1 of the Program 1 was supposed to be completely transferred by Time t13 but was interrupted at Time tb exactly at the halfway between Time t12 and Time t13. If this is the case, as to the program components in the �display� class of the Program 1, the digest video is wholly transferred but the detailed video is only half-transferred, i.e., only the first-half of the detailed video is transferred. Even if data transfer is interrupted due to such eventuality, the users can enjoy the program with video to some extent because the video information is already provided to every program to some extent. Further, even if the data transfer is interrupted at an earlier stage, the users can enjoy the program with closed caption (additionally, audio).
FIG. 12 is an exemplary storage list which is to be generated in a case where the received data includes a digest video in the main device 1 of FIG. 1. In FIG. 12, the Program 1 has the digest video in the program component (the third line of the storage list; in the receipt list, the sixth program component to be received). Accordingly, in the processing described in FIG. 4 where transfer priorities are determined (step S206), there is a digest video having the top transfer priority which is defined for the �display� class. Consequently, the processing of step S207 which re-writes the transfer priorities is not executed. Therefore, the digest video �D� and the detailed video �V�, both of which are the types of the program components which are classified into the �display� class, are set to the transfer priorities by default. Further, as the Program 2 does not have closed caption having the top transfer priority defined for the �script� class, by step S207, the transfer priority of audio �A� is changed into the value of 1 which is defined as being the top priority for the �script� class.
FIG. 13 is an exemplary receipt list which is to be generated when the data that is transferred from the main device 1 to the portable device 2 of FIG. 1 includes a digest video. In FIG. 13, as to the Program 1, the portable device 2 receives the entire digest video of 30 minutes, but receives only the first-half of the detailed video of 15 minutes. In this manner, in step S406, the detailed video reaches to the tail of data 15 minutes after the start of play-back of the detailed video and audio in the play-back processing of the program described in FIG. 8 (step S405). Thereafter, the digest video being the program component in the �display� class after the lapse of 15 minutes is found in step S407, and then is stated to be played-back as a replacement for the detailed video in step S410. The play-back image of the Program 1 is accordingly lowered in quality after the lapse of 15 minutes from the start, but, is still sufficient for the users to enjoy the program.
FIG. 14 is an outer perspective diagram showing the physical structure of a portable viewing/listening system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the electrical structure of the portable viewing/listening system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. By referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, the main device 1 includes a processing part 1 a, a charging part 1 b, and a cradle-type box 1 c (hereinafter, refer to as cradle) onto which the portable device 2 can be placed. The portable device 2 includes a processing part 2 a, a battery 2 b, and a connection contact 2 c. The processing part la is similar in structure to the main device 1 shown in FIG. 1, and the processing part 2 a is similar in structure to the portable device 2 shown in FIG. 1.
By placing the portable device 2 on the cradle 1 c, the portable device 2 is electrically connected to the main device 1 via the connection contact 2 c. Furthermore, in the meantime, the charging part 1 b which is provided in the main device 1 charges the battery 2 b in the portable device 2 through the connection contact 2 c. As the portable device 2 is relatively-high power, a rechargeable so-called secondary battery is popular for the battery 2 b provided therein. Consequently, the battery 2 b needs to be regularly charged every day, and this thus necessitates the portable device 2 to be physically connected to some types of charger. According to the second embodiment, when any physical connection for the to-be-required charging is made, information such as programs can be advantageously transferred at the same time. Therefore, rather conveniently, there is no need to make any new connection for transfer. Note that the charging part 1 b may monitor charging current and detect the start of a connection, and then notifies the detection to the processing part 1 a so as to start the transfer processing of the program. In this manner, rather conveniently, program transfer is automatically started by only placing the portable device 2 on the cradle 1 c. Third Embodiment
In the third embodiment, the main device 1 is provided with a digital broadcasting receiver which is equipped with a slot of DVB-CI (Digital Video Broadcasting-Common Interface). The DVB-CI is a specification that is standardized by the standardization group in Europe called DVB, and specifies the receiver to be equipped with a slot of PCMCIA and the slot to be an insertable type for a descrambler of a PC card in PCMCIA Standards. Accordingly, with a plurality of slots provided and a plurality of descramblers inserted, the receiver can correspond to various cryptographic methods. For the DVB-CI, PCMCIA which is normally equipped with a note-type PC (Personal Computer) as a physical and electrical interface is used. For some receivers, it is structurally possible to function in a similar manner to the main device 1 in FIG. 1 only by updating a software in the existing digital broadcast receiver by way of a download through broadcasting.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is suitable for a case where a program that is received by a main device and stored therein is to be easily enjoyed with a portable device.
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