JP2014116809A - Server device and recording reservation management program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily and accurately achieve recording reservation desired by a user by reducing the complexity of the user as much as possible in an environment in which there exist a plurality of recording devices, and achieving the unitary management of the recording devices.SOLUTION: A server device connected via a network to a plurality of recording devices comprises: a storage part for storing the identification information of a plurality of recording devices; an information acquisition part for, when receiving access from a user, acquiring, from each recording device corresponding to the identification information, recording device information including information related to at least the situations of recording reservation and a free storage capacity in the recording device; a recording reservation acceptance part for accepting the recording reservation of content in accordance with the access from the user; and a recording reservation setting part for selecting the recording device as the setting object of the accepted recording reservation from among the recording devices corresponding to the identification information on the basis of the determination of referencing the recording device information, and for setting the accepted recording reservation in the selected recording device.

Description

  The present invention relates to a server device and a recording reservation management program.

  A system in which at least one recording requesting device and a plurality of recording devices are connected to a network, and in response to a program recording instruction, a recording device on the network is selected from the recording devices on the network in consideration of the recording history. Disclosure of the technology to be performed is made (see Patent Document 1). Further, regarding a recording apparatus that mainly stores multimedia contents, a disclosure relating to a technique of a recording system in which a plurality of networked recording apparatuses share a function has been made (see Patent Document 2).

Table 2009/107560 Special table 2011-521383 gazette

  In an environment where there are a plurality of recording devices, the recording reservation status and storage capacity availability in each recording device are different, so it is not easy for the user to recognize a suitable recording device for recording the desired content. Therefore, in an environment where there are a plurality of recording devices that can be used by the user, there is a need for a technology that can manage these recording devices in a centralized manner and can easily and reliably realize recording reservations desired by the user. It was rare. Further, there has been a demand for a technique that can reliably perform recording related to a reservation even when a change in the situation occurs in each recording apparatus after the recording reservation is set once.

  The present invention has been made to solve at least one of the above-described problems. In an environment where a plurality of recording apparatuses exist, the recording apparatus is managed in an integrated manner by reducing the complexity of the user as much as possible. A server device and a recording reservation management program capable of easily and reliably realizing recording reservation.

  One aspect of the present invention is a server device that is connected to a plurality of recording devices via a network, and a storage unit that stores identification information of the plurality of recording devices and an access from a user , An information acquisition unit for acquiring recording device information including at least information regarding a recording reservation status and a storage capacity vacancy in the recording device from each recording device corresponding to the identification information, and content according to access from the user The recording reservation receiving unit that receives the recording reservation and the recording device that is the setting target of the received recording reservation are selected from the recording devices corresponding to the identification information based on the determination with reference to the recording device information And a recording reservation setting unit that sets the received recording reservation for the selected recording device.

  According to this configuration, the server device is interposed between the user and the plurality of recording devices, and manages each recording device in an integrated manner. Then, the server device selects the recording device to be set for the recording reservation received from the user based on the recording reservation status of each recording device and the free space of the storage device, and sets the recording reservation to the selected recording device. . That is, the user can reliably perform recording of desired content using any of the recording devices only by performing an operation on the server device.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a system according to an embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an identification information storage process. It is a flowchart which shows a recording reservation management process. It is a figure which shows an example of UI screen. It is a flowchart which shows a video recording reservation reset process.

As an embodiment of the present invention, the recording reservation setting unit selects a recording device having a large storage capacity among recording devices capable of performing recording based on the received recording reservation, and sets the received recording reservation. You may choose as.
As an embodiment of the present invention, the recording reservation setting unit extracts a recording device that can perform recording based on the received recording reservation, presents the extracted recording device to the outside, and displays the presented recording A recording device selected by the user from among the devices may be selected as a setting target for the received recording reservation.
As an embodiment of the present invention, the recording reservation setting unit may select two or more recording devices as setting targets for the received recording reservation.
Further, as an embodiment of the present invention, the information acquisition unit obtains the latest information from each recording device corresponding to the identification information, a predetermined time before the recording start time indicated by the recording reservation set in the selected recording device. The recording device information is acquired, and the recording reservation setting unit sets the latest recording device information that recording based on the recording reservation set in the selected recording device cannot be performed in the selected recording device. If it is determined based on the above, the recording device to be set for the received recording reservation is newly selected from the recording devices corresponding to the identification information based on the determination with reference to the latest recording device information. Then, the received recording reservation may be set for the newly selected recording apparatus.

  The idea of the present invention can be grasped not only as a server device but also as a system including a server device and a plurality of recording devices. The invention of a computer-readable program (recording reservation management program for realizing recording reservation management in a server device connected to a plurality of recording devices via a network) mounted on the server device and causing the server device to function as described above The invention of a method corresponding to the above system, the invention of an individual recording device to be controlled by the server device, the invention of a computer-readable program mounted on the recording device and causing the recording device to function as described above And so on.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be further described with reference to the drawings.
1. System Overview FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a system according to the present embodiment. The system has a network 10. The network 10 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) built at the user's home, and communicates with the Internet IN via the router 11. In the network 10, a plurality of devices are connected by wire. Specifically, a server device 13 is connected to a hub 12 connected to the router 11, and a plurality of recording devices 15, 15, 15.

  The server device 13 is a computer for managing a plurality of recording devices 15, 15, 15..., And a recording reservation management program (management program 14) for the management is installed in a predetermined memory. In the server device 13, various functions such as a storage unit 14 a, an information acquisition unit 14 b, a recording reservation receiving unit 14 c, and a recording reservation setting unit 14 d are realized by the CPU executing processing according to the management program 14 on the work memory. To do. Each of these functions will be described later. The server device 13 and the plurality of recording devices 15, 15, 15... Are network-compatible devices that comply with the standards of DLAN (Digital Living Network Alliance), transfer video files and music files between devices, and a single device. Remote control of other devices (for example, the server device 13 to the recording device 15) is possible.

  The plurality of recording devices 15, 15, 15... Are recorders capable of recording television programs (contents) on the storage media 16, 16, 16... Respectively, and have a tuner (not shown) for receiving television broadcast signals. Have (or be connected to a tuner). Each recording device 15 may be a so-called recorder that does not have a monitor (liquid crystal display, plasma display, organic EL display, or the like), or may be a television (a television with a recording function) that has a monitor. The recording medium 16 included in each recording device 15 may be an internal or external hard disk (HD), a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, or the like.

  The terminal 20 is a device that can be connected to the Internet IN by wire or wirelessly. For example, the terminal 20 is a PC or a mobile communication device. The user can access the server device 13 via the Internet IN, the router 11, and the hub 12 by operating the terminal 20.

2. Identification Information Storage Process FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the identification information storage process executed by the server device 13 in this embodiment. The identification information storage process is mainly realized by the storage unit 14a, and is performed in advance of a recording reservation management process (FIG. 3) described later.
As a premise of the identification information storing process, each device (server device 13 and each recording device 15) constituting the network 10 is assigned a private IP address (in the network 10) by the router 11 at the first participation in the network 10. Hereinafter, simply an IP address is assigned (step S100). Under such a premise, in step S200, the storage unit 14a sends a request signal for requesting a reply of the IP address to the network 10. Then, each recording device 15 that has received the request signal returns its own IP address to the transmission source (server device 13) of the request signal.

  Thereby, the server device 13 acquires the IP address of each recording device 15 belonging to the network 10. At the start of the identification information storage process, it is assumed that not only the server device 13 but also each recording device 15 is turned on (activated) by the user. In step S220, the storage unit 14a stores the IP address (a type of identification information) of each recording device 15 acquired in step S200 in a predetermined memory. Thereby, the server device 13 performs various communications by specifying each recording device 15 by the IP address in the network 10 thereafter.

  Further, in step S240, the server device 13 informs the user whether or not to set WOL (Wake On LAN) for each recording device 15 via a UI (user interface) screen or the like displayed on a predetermined monitor. The process branches according to the inquiry and the instruction from the user. If an instruction to perform WOL setting is input from the user, the process proceeds to step S260. If an instruction to not perform WOL setting is input, the flowchart ends. WOL refers to a process of turning on the power by transmitting a specific packet from another network compatible device to the network compatible device in the power off state (so-called sleep mode) via the LAN.

  In step S260, the server device 13 transmits an instruction to validate the WOL setting to each recording device 15 specified by the stored IP address, and validates the WOL setting. Then, the server device 13 performs an operation check as to whether or not the WOL to each recording device 15 is normally performed. As the operation confirmation, for example, the server device 13 transmits a power-off instruction to each recording device 15 via the network 10 to shift from the current power-on state to the power-off state. Next, the specific packet is transmitted to each recording device 15 via the network 10 to shift from the power-off state to the power-on state, and from each recording device 15 that has shifted to the power-on state to the power-on state. A specific signal indicating that it has been received is received. The server device 13 regards only the recording device 15 for which the series of operation confirmation has been completed as the recording device 15 for which the WOL setting has been made (the recording device 15 compatible with WOL), and ends the flowchart.

3. Recording Reservation Management Process FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a recording reservation management process executed by the server device 13 in this embodiment. The recording reservation management process is mainly realized by the information acquisition unit 14b, the recording reservation receiving unit 14c, and the recording reservation setting unit 14d.
The information acquisition unit 14b determines whether or not an access has been received from a user for the purpose of recording recording of content (step S300), and if it is determined that the access has been received, the process proceeds to the next step S310. The user can access a predetermined recording reservation site provided by the server device 13 on the Internet IN by operating the terminal 20 and starting a predetermined application installed in the terminal 20. Therefore, when the information acquisition unit 14b receives access to the site, the information acquisition unit 14b proceeds to step S310.

  In step S310, the information acquisition unit 14b performs WOL on the WOL-compatible recording device 15 to shift the WOL-compatible recording device 15 from the power-off state to the power-on state. Note that not all recording devices 15 participating in the network 10 are WOL compatible recording devices 15, and if a branch indicating that WOL setting is not performed is made in step S240 (FIG. 2), the WOL compatible recording device 15 is used. There is no recording device 15. However, the description will be continued below on the assumption that at least some of the recording devices 15 are WOL-compatible recording devices 15. Also for the recording device 15 that is not the WOL compatible recording device 15, the user operates the remote controller or the like to turn on the main power supply of the recording device 15 and shift from the power-off state to the power-on state. It becomes the object of processing.

  In step S320, the information acquisition unit 14b sends a request signal for requesting a return of the recording device information to each recording device 15 in the power-on state. Then, each recording device 15 that has received the request signal returns its recording device information to the transmission source (server device 13) of the request signal. Thereby, the server apparatus 13 acquires the recording apparatus information for each recording apparatus 15 in the activated state. The recording device information includes at least information relating to the current recording reservation status in the recording device 15 (the set recording reservation list) and the free capacity of the storage medium 16 in the current recording device 15. Further, the recording device information may include information on recording modes (modes relating to recording image quality such as double speed and quadruple speed) that can be executed in the recording device 15, product information such as the name of the storage medium 16, and the like. . However, such recording mode information, product information, and the like may have been acquired from each recording device 15 at a stage prior to step S320 (for example, the timing of steps S200 and S220, FIG. 2).

  In step S330, the recording reservation accepting unit 14c accepts a content recording reservation in response to a user access. That is, the user can make a recording reservation for a desired television program within the recording reservation site by operating the terminal 20. For example, an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) is presented in the site, and the user makes a recording reservation by designating a desired television program as a recording target from the presented content.

In step S340, the recording reservation setting unit 14d refers to the recording device information acquired in step S320 for the recording device 15 to be set for the recording reservation received in step S330 (hereinafter referred to as reception recording reservation). The following selection is made based on the judgment made.
Prior to the selection, the recording reservation setting unit 14d receives the setting of the selection method of the recording device 15 from the user. As an example, the recording reservation setting unit 14d presents a UI screen 22 as shown in FIG. 4 to the outside as a part of the recording reservation site. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the UI screen 22 is displayed on the monitor 21 of the terminal 20. On the UI screen 22, for example, options such as “automatically select items with a large free space” and “selection by the user” are presented, and the user can arbitrarily select these options by operating the terminal 20. Further, for example, when the user selects “automatically select one having a large free space”, the number of recording devices 15 to be automatically selected can be arbitrarily specified in the UI screen 22, and the user can select a desired number of recording devices. specify.

  The recording reservation setting unit 14d extracts a recording device 15 that can execute recording related to the accepted recording reservation based on the recording device information. Here, the recording device 15 capable of executing recording related to the reception recording reservation means a recording device 15 that can accept the reception recording reservation in light of the recording reservation status and the free space of the storage medium 16. If the user has also designated the recording mode in step S330, the recording reservation setting unit 14d includes the reception recording including the condition that recording can be performed in the designated recording mode. The recording device 15 that can execute recording related to the reservation is extracted.

  If “automatic selection of a large amount of free space” is selected, the recording reservation setting unit 14d specifies on the UI screen 22 in the order from the extracted recording device 15 in which the free space of the storage medium 16 is large. The above-mentioned number of recording devices 15 are selected as setting targets for the reception recording reservation. When the number of the extracted recording devices 15 is less than the specified number, the recording reservation setting unit 14d selects all of the extracted recording devices 15. If the user does not specify the number of the recording devices 15 to be automatically selected in the UI screen 22, the default value (one unit) is regarded as the specified number.

  On the other hand, when “selection by user” is selected, the recording reservation setting unit 14d presents the extracted list of recording devices 15 to the outside as a part of the recording reservation site. The user operates the terminal 20 to arbitrarily select one or a plurality of recording devices 15 from the presented list. The recording reservation setting unit 14d selects the recording device 15 selected by the user as a setting target for the reception recording reservation.

In step S350, the recording reservation setting unit 14d sets a reception recording reservation for all the recording devices 15 selected in step S340. That is, information (program name, broadcast channel, broadcast time zone, recording mode, etc.) related to the accepted recording reservation is transmitted to the selected recording device 15 together with a recording reservation setting command (command) via the network 10. By doing so, the reception recording reservation is set in the selected recording device 15. As a result, the selected recording device 15 executes the TV program recording process by the reserved recording reservation.
In step S360, the server device 13 receives from the recording device 15 that has set the reception recording reservation in step S350 (or step S460 described later) that the recording processing by the reception recording reservation is completed, and ends the flowchart. To do.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the server device 13 is interposed between the user and the plurality of recording devices 15 and manages each recording device 15 in an integrated manner. Specifically, the server device 13 selects the recording device 15 that is optimal as the setting target for the reception recording reservation based on the recording reservation status of each recording device 15 and the free storage capacity, and the selected recording device 15 is selected. Set recording reservation. Therefore, the user can surely execute the recording of the desired content using any of the recording devices 15 only by performing a simple operation on the server device 13. In particular, by operating the terminal 20 as a mobile communication device, the user can record a desired content using any of the recording devices 15 simply by instructing the server device 13 to make a recording reservation from the outside. Can be executed reliably. In addition, even if the user selects either “automatic selection of a large amount of free space” or “selection by user”, it is possible to cause a plurality of recording devices 15 to perform recording. The risk of failure is avoided as much as possible.

4). Recording Reprogramming Resetting Process The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the following modifications are possible.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a recording reservation resetting process executed by the server device 13 as one modified example. This process is performed at a timing after the reception recording reservation is set in the recording device 15 (step S350, FIG. 3).
The information acquisition unit 14b determines whether or not a predetermined time (N minutes before) the recording start time indicated by the reception recording reservation (step S400). Is acquired (steps S410 and S420). Since the processing of steps S410 and S420 is the same as the processing of steps S310 and S320 (FIG. 3), description thereof is omitted. However, since time has elapsed since the time of steps S310 and S320, the user sets a separate recording reservation for each recording device 15 or the like (for example, the recording reservation status or storage). There is a possibility that the free space of the medium 16 has changed. Therefore, there is a possibility that the content of the recording device information obtained in step S320 and the content of the recording device information obtained in step S420 are different.

  In step S430, the recording reservation setting unit 14d reads out information related to the received recording reservation received in step S330 from the stored predetermined memory. In step S440, by comparing the read information with the latest recording device information acquired in step S420, the recording device 15 in which recording based on the accepted recording reservation is selected in step S340 (FIG. 3). It is determined whether or not it is impossible to execute on one or more of the devices. If it is determined that the recording based on the reception recording reservation is not executable in any one or more of the recording devices 15 selected in step S340, the reception recording reservation needs to be reset, and the process advances to step S450. move on. On the other hand, if the recording based on the reception recording reservation can be executed in all the recording devices 15 selected in step S340, the flowchart is ended because it is not necessary to reset the reception recording reservation.

  In step S450, the recording reservation setting unit 14d again sets the recording device 15 to be set as the reception recording reservation in the same manner as in step S340 (however, recording based on the reception recording reservation is not executable in step S440). Select (except for the determined recording device 15). It is assumed that the recording reservation resetting process is automatically performed by the server device 13 immediately before the recording start time related to the reception recording reservation. Therefore, in step S450, the UI screen by the user as described with reference to FIG. The instruction through 22 is basically not obtained. Therefore, in step S450, the selection method of the recording device 15 set by the user via the UI screen 22 in step S340 is followed as it is. However, if “selection by user” is selected in step S340, the recording reservation setting unit 14d forcibly sets the selection method of the recording device 15 to “automatic selection with a large free space” in step S450. Alternatively, the terminal 20 may be called through the Internet IN, and the user may arbitrarily select again the recording device 15 to be set for scheduled reception recording.

  The recording device 15 selected in step S340 and the recording device 15 selected in step S450 are at least partially different. In step S460, the recording reservation setting unit 14d sets a reception recording reservation for all the recording devices 15 selected in step S450. As a result, even if the recording reservation once set in the recording device 15 in step S350 becomes unexecutable due to a subsequent change in the status of the recording device 15, another recording device 15 is automatically set before the recording start time. Therefore, the recording related to the reception recording reservation is surely realized without bothering the user.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Network (LAN) 11 ... Router, 12 ... Hub, 13 ... Server apparatus, 14 ... Management program, 14a ... Memory | storage part, 14b ... Information acquisition part, 14c ... Recording reservation reception part, 14d ... Recording reservation setting part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 ... Recording device, 16 ... Storage medium, 20 ... Terminal, 21 ... Monitor, 22 ... UI screen

Claims (6)

A server device connected to a plurality of recording devices via a network,
A storage unit for storing identification information of the plurality of recording devices;
An information acquisition unit for acquiring recording device information including information on at least the recording reservation status and the storage capacity in the recording device from each recording device corresponding to the identification information when receiving an access from the user;
In response to access from the user, a recording reservation receiving unit that receives a recording reservation for content;
The recording device to be set for the received recording reservation is selected from the recording devices corresponding to the identification information based on the determination with reference to the recording device information, and the selected recording device is And a recording reservation setting unit configured to set the received recording reservation.   The recording reservation setting unit selects, as a setting target for the received recording reservation, a recording device having a large storage capacity among recording devices capable of executing recording based on the received recording reservation. The server device according to claim 1.   The recording reservation setting unit extracts a recording device capable of executing recording based on the received recording reservation, presents the extracted recording device to the outside, and allows the user to select from the presented recording devices The server device according to claim 1, wherein a recording device is selected as a setting target of the received recording reservation.   4. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording reservation setting unit selects two or more recording apparatuses as setting targets for the received recording reservation. The information acquisition unit acquires the latest recording device information from each recording device corresponding to the identification information, a predetermined time before the recording start time indicated by the recording reservation set in the selected recording device,
When the recording reservation setting unit determines that recording based on the recording reservation set in the selected recording device is not executable in the selected recording device based on the latest recording device information, Based on the determination with reference to the latest recording device information, the recording device to be set for the received recording reservation is newly selected from the recording devices corresponding to the identification information, and the newly selected recording device is selected. 5. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the received recording reservation is set for the apparatus. A recording reservation management program for realizing recording reservation management in a server device connected to a plurality of recording devices via a network,
A storage function for storing identification information of the plurality of recording devices;
An information acquisition function for acquiring, from each recording device corresponding to the identification information, recording device information including at least a recording reservation status and storage capacity availability in the recording device when receiving an access from the user;
In response to access from the user, a recording reservation receiving function for receiving a recording reservation for content,
The recording device to be set for the received recording reservation is selected from the recording devices corresponding to the identification information based on the determination with reference to the recording device information, and the selected recording device is A recording reservation management program characterized by realizing a recording reservation setting function for setting a received recording reservation.

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