Sony Corporation

Nobuhiro Tone

Kazunori Ozawa

Masahiro Asai

Hidekazu Watanabe

Akimasa Oyama

Toshiyuki Arai

An audio recording and reproducing apparatus includes a controller for controlling the entire behaviors, hard disc for write and read of audio data, audio compression/expansion circuit for expanding compressed audio data, and external I/O port. The audio recording and reproducing apparatus is connected to a network service center to obtain desired music data from storage of the network service center and to store it in the hard disc.

Audio transmission, recording and reproducing system

A transmitting unit has a first storing portion for storing a plurality of data programs, and a data generating portion for adding first identification data to a data program selected corresponding to selection data that is input by a user from the plurality of data programs stored in the first storing portion. A terminal unit has an operating portion for inputting selection data for selecting users's desired data from the plurality of data programs stored in the first storing portion, a second storing portion for storing data to which the first identification data transmitted from the transmitting unit is added and for storing second identification data that is unique to the terminal unit, a reproducing portion for reproducing data that is read from the second storing portion, and a controlling portion for comparing the first identification data added to the data that is read from the second storing portion with the second identification data that is stored in the second storing portion and controlling a reproducing operation of the reproducing portion corresponding to the compared results when the data that is read from the second storing portion is reproduced. Thus, data can be protected and its ownership can be transferred.

Data transmitter, data reproduction method, terminal, and method for transferring data transmitter

Telephone apparatus used for computer network telephone system

A telephone system including telephone terminals in computer networks connected via servers to transmit data containing at least audio data through the Internet. Upon receipt of information on a source terminal sent via a server, a destination terminal performs operations based on the information. For example, the destination terminal judges whether the source terminal is a previously specified terminal, and connects or does not connect itself to the source terminal in accordance with the judgement.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Nobuhiro Tone