Patent ID: 8688633

Claim:
A content searching device, comprising: a memory unit storing a second database corresponding to a first database provided on a server, in which pieces of content are associated with running numbers and with primary metadata describing the corresponding pieces of the content; a synchronization unit receiving information from the server when a synchronization condition is met and synchronizing the second database with the first database according to the information received, the information pertaining to the running numbers and to the primary metadata in the first database; a reception unit receiving a designation of a given running number from a user, the designation being made from the running numbers in the second database; a metadata acquisition unit using the given running number so designated to acquire a corresponding piece of the primary metadata from the server; and a determination unit making, for every acquisition, a comparison between (i) the piece of the primary metadata and (ii) a piece of the primary metadata corresponding to the given running number in the second database, so as to determine matching, wherein when the determination unit determines no matching, the metadata acquisition unit uses another running number proximal to the given running number to further acquire another piece of the primary metadata from the server, and the content searching device further comprises: a content acquisition unit acquiring a piece of the content corresponding to the other running number from the server when the determination unit determines matching in the comparison made using the piece of the primary metadata corresponding to the other running number; and a playback unit playing back the piece of the content acquired by the content acquisition unit, wherein the server has the first database; upon addition of a piece of the primary metadata corresponding to the given running number, the first database on the server shifts downward all later running numbers associated with pieces of the primary metadata; and upon deletion of a piece of the primary metadata corresponding to the given running number, the first database on the server shifts upward all earlier running numbers associated with pieces of the primary metadata.