Sony Corporation

Yoshimasa Utsumi

Yoichiro Sako

Tatsuya Inokuchi

Shunsuke Furukawa

Kaoru Kijima

Kazuko Sakurai

Mitsuru Toriyama

Akira Tange

Tomihiro Nakagawa

Junichi Kudo

Tsutomu Harada

Kazuhiro Sato

Katsuyuki Sato

Yasuaki Maeda

Shigeyuki Yoneyama

Takashi Kihara

Hideki Nagashima

A control device, which handles a network system in which electronic devices installed in each of multiple rooms are connected via a communication network and each electronic device can perform communication via the communication network, includes: a control unit to selectively set a first control mode in which operation control according to operation input is performed as to a particular single electronic device, a second control mode in which operation control according to operation input is performed in common as to electronic devices installed in the same room, and a third control mode in which operation control according to operation input is performed in common as to electronic devices connected to the communication network, as an operation control mode according to predetermined operation input, and to generate a control command; and a transmission unit to transmit a control command that the control unit has generated according to the control mode.

Control device, control method, and program

When the user designates the reproduction of searching audio data, the designated searching audio data and audio volume data are read from a searching data recording portion. The searching audio data is reproduced corresponding to the audio volume data. When the user designates the reproduction of main audio data, the selected audio data is read from a disc and reproduced. In addition, number-of-reproduction-times data, audio volume data, audio quality data, and time period data for the designated main audio data that are updated in the searching data storing portion. The searching audio data corresponding to the designated main audio data is read from the disc corresponding to the audio quality data and the time period data and recorded to the searching data storing portion.

Recording and reproducing apparatus, recording and reproducing method, and storage medium for displaying symbols and reproducing desired data

Recording and reproducing apparatus, recording and reproducing method, and storage medium

The present invention provides a content-on-demand system capable of managing users' system-utilization frequencies such as download counts and connection times as well as changing the quality of a content transmitted from a server to a user in dependence on the system-utilization frequency of the user. Thus, a high-quality content or a highly functional content is provided to a user with a high system-utilization frequency. By differentiating contents provided to users in accordance with the system-utilization frequencies of the users, network businesses can be activated.

Server, distribution system, distribution method and terminal

A method for processing content data includes the steps of, when content data is transmitted from a data provider, adding usage rule information prescribing a rule of usage of the content data to the content data and transmitting the content data with the usage rule information; receiving the transmitted content data; extracting the usage rule information from the received content data; and notifying a user of the content data of the extracted usage information.

Content providing system, content providing method, content processing apparatus, and program therefor

When the user designates the reproduction of searching audio data, the designated searching audio data and audio volume data are read from a searching data recording portion. The searching audio data is reproduced corresponding to the audio volume data. When the user designates the reproduction of main audio data, the audio data is read from a disc and reproduced. In addition, the number-of-reproduction-times data corresponding to the number of times the audio data has been reproduced, audio volume data, audio quality data, and time period data for the designated main audio data are updated in the searching data storing portion. The searching audio data corresponding to the designated main audio data is read from the disc in accordance with the audio quality data and the time period data and recorded to the searching data storing portion.

A terminal apparatus comprising an insertion hole into which to insert a copyright-compliant first memory card and a copyright-noncompliant second memory card. The first and the second memory cards are substantially the same in shape. If the copyright-noncompliant second memory card is inserted preparatory to recording copyright-protected contents, the copyright-protected contents are recorded temporarily to the second memory card. When the copyright-compliant first memory card is later inserted, the recorded copyright-protected contents are transferred from the second memory card to the inserted first memory card. If the copyright-compliant first memory card is inserted preparatory to recording copyright-unprotected contents, the copyright-unprotected contents are recorded temporarily to the first memory card so that when the copyright-noncompliant second memory card is later inserted, the recorded copyright-unprotected contents are transferred from the first memory card to the inserted second memory card. Thus the desired contents are recorded unfailingly regardless of an inadvertent insertion by users of a memory card which is apparently the same in shape but different in type of copyright compliance.

Terminal apparatus and recording method

A charging system is provided which solicits from third parties information about products supposedly infringing on a right holder's lawful right and which, upon exposure of the infringement, acquires royalty revenues from the trespassing party for a reimbursement to any third party having contributed the information on the infringement, whereby right-related information is collected more efficiently and a market on which such information circulates is actively promoted.

Information providing apparatus, server apparatus and information processing method

A terminal apparatus into which one of a first and a second memory card is selectively inserted. The first memory card is designed to store contents subject to copyright protection whereas the second memory card is arranged to accommodate contents not subject to copyright protection. The two cards are substantially the same in shape. If a user inadvertently inserts the second memory card into the apparatus in order to record contents subject to copyright protection, the contents are allowed to be recorded to the inserted card at a lowered level of data quality. This averts an outright failure to record copyright-protected contents for which the user has properly paid to a copyright-noncompliant memory card.

Terminal apparatus

A semiconductor memory card is disclosed which achieves augmentation in design property, promotion of understanding and augmentation in identification facility of the type thereof. A memory card housing is entirely or partially transparent or translucent so that a circuit board, a memory chip and so forth in the inside thereof can be visually observed from the outside therethrough. Or, the card housing is partially opaque or is colored at the transparent or translucent portion thereof. Or else, the card housings of different types of memory cards are formed as different ones of transparent, translucent and opaque housings from each other.

Semiconductor memory card

One network system according to the invention allows a party potentially disadvantaged by a third party's right globally to solicit information for contesting the right in question and to pay a reward to individuals or organizations for offering the information for invalidation. The system ensures that legitimate rights are protected while corporations are defended against unfair accusations and frivolous lawsuits. Another network system according to the invention allows a party potentially disadvantaged by a third party's right globally to recruit experts willing to take over proceedings on behalf of the disadvantaged party for invalidating the right in question, and to pay a contingent fee to those who successfully invalidated the right. The inventive system also ensures that legitimate rights are protected while corporations are defended against unfair accusations and frivolous lawsuits.

A recording apparatus comprising a means for reading and reproducing a program recorded on a first recording medium such as a CD; a means for recording the reproduced program on a second recording medium such as an MD having at least a program area to record programs and a management area to manage the positions of the recorded programs and the program names; a means for inputting character data representative of the program name; a means for settling the program of one unit inputted by the character input means; a means for generating a partition code; a means for storing the program name as a character string after attaching a partition code to the program name inputted by the character input means; and a control means for extracting, from the character strings stored in the storage means, the program name of the relevant program with reference to the partition code, and updating the data in the management area of the second recording medium. In this apparatus, successive input of character data as program names is achievable despite change of programs, and the recorded management data can be updated independently of such change after completion of dubbing the entire programs.

Recording apparatus, recording method, and dubbing apparatus for recording or dubbing programs and character data

A reproduction apparatus and method a recording apparatus and method by which two different kinds of data can be reproduced and recorded efficiently are disclosed. When main data are intermittently read in from a recording medium, periods within which reading in of the main data is not performed appear inevitably, and the periods are made use of to read in sub data from the recording medium, thereby allowing synchronized reproduction of the main data and the sub data which relate to the main data. On the other hand, when main data are intermittently written onto a recording medium, periods within which writing of the main data is not performed appear inevitably, and the periods are made use of to write sub data onto the recording medium, thereby allowing parallel recording of the main data and the sub data.

Recording/reproduction method and apparatus in which sub data is written/read in periods during which writing/reading of main data is not performed

An exclusively-used key accessible to the Internet is provided on a remote commander, and further another protocol name inputting exclusively-used key for inputting an URL (Uniform Resource Locators) address is employed and a host name input key is employed. Accordingly, input operations for inputting the respective alphabets of the URL address can be eliminated while avoiding the erroneous alphabet entering operations and also cumbersome operations.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Yoshimasa Utsumi