Sony Corporation

Rie Usukura

Atsushi Kimura

Yoshikazu Watanabe

Yasuo Nomura

Hiroyuki Mitsubori

Nobuaki Yamaguchi

Yasuhito Shikata

Toshihiro Morita

Hideyuki Ono

Osamu Shimoyoshi

Toshio Ohkouchi

Kiyoshi Aida

Yoshinori Utsumi

Tatsuo Eguchi

Disclosed is an information providing system which comprises: an information providing apparatus with elements for receiving a TV program, generating image data and sound data representing a received TV program, and transmitting the image data and sound data; and an information processing apparatus with connecting information set to specify whether or not to establish connection with the information providing apparatus, and a storing element for storing the name of the information providing apparatus. If the connecting information is judged set to establish connection, then the information processing apparatus establishes connection with the information providing apparatus based on the stored name of the latter, so that the image data and sound data are received by the information processing apparatus from the information providing apparatus.

Information providing system, information processing apparatus and information processing method for transmitting sound and image data

An information processing method is disclosed for use with an information processing apparatus for acquiring data and executing signal processing on the data. The method includes the steps of: acquiring information necessary for executing the signal processing on the data; determining whether a certain parameter included in the information acquired in the information acquiring step is changed; if the parameter is found changed in the determining step, then controlling recording of setting information for the signal processing; discarding execution status settings of a signal processing program called up to execute the signal processing; calling up again the signal processing program; initializing, using the changed parameter, the signal processing program called up in the program calling step; reading out the setting information of which the recording was controlled in the setting information recording controlling step; and resetting the signal processing program based on the setting information read out in the setting information reading step.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

An information processing apparatus is disclosed which includes: a signal processing executing device for executing signal processing on data that has been acquired; a recording device for temporarily recording the data and information so that either the data or the information may be transmitted and received by the signal processing executing device, the information being necessary for the signal processing executing device to execute the signal processing on the data; and a data controlling device for controlling a destination to which to output the data after acquiring the data and the information and determining whether to execute signal processing. When determining that the signal processing is to be executed, the data controlling device writes the data and the information to the recording device. The signal processing executing device acquires either the data or the information from the recording device in order to execute the signal processing on the data.

Disclosed is an information processing apparatus for switching a first session and a second session in executing processing, the apparatus comprising: storage controlling means which, if a first module belonging to a group is activated in the first session, then stores correspondence between the first session and the group; and activation controlling means which, if a second module belonging to the group is activated in the second session, then stops activation of the second module based on the stored correspondence between the first session and the group.

Disclosed is an information providing system in which the information providing apparatus first receives a connection request from the first information processing apparatus. Upon receipt of the connection request, a check is made to see whether the information providing apparatus is providing any image data or sound data to the second information processing apparatus. If the information providing apparatus is judged to be providing any image data or sound data to the second information processing apparatus, then information related to a chat program is transmitted to the first and the second information processing apparatus. After transmitting the connection request to the information providing apparatus, the first information processing apparatus receives the information related to the chat program from the information providing apparatus. Upon reception of the information, the first information processing apparatus executes a process based on the received information related to the chat program. The second information processing apparatus also receives the information related to the chat program from the information providing apparatus and thereupon executes a process based on the received information related to the chat program.

Information providing system, information providing apparatus, information providing method, information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Rie Usukura