Patent ID: 7624139

Claim:
An information processing apparatus for processing a data stream inputted via a network, comprising: an input unit for inputting a data stream having hierarchically-encoded data via a network; an interrupted-stream storage unit for storing an interrupted stream generated by interrupting the data stream; an interrupt information storage unit for storing interrupt information associated with the interrupted stream; an output unit for outputting the interrupted stream stored in said interrupted-stream storage unit, in response to a request for outputting the data stream, wherein the interrupt information is at least one of: a compression ratio, a signal-to-noise ratio, and a number of layers of the data stream; and a setting unit for setting or updating the interrupt information, wherein said output unit inputs a partial data stream following the interrupted stream via said input unit, in accordance with the interrupt information undated by said setting unit, and generates a previously presented interrupted stream from the interrupted stream stored in said interrupted-stream storage unit and the partial data stream.