JP2008028771A - Distributed accumulation method and distributed accumulation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a distributed accumulation method which allows the user to reserve recordings on an arbitrary apparatus according to whether recording made out or recording is reserved on other apparatuses. <P>SOLUTION: In the distributed accumulation method, a plurality of recording apparatuses distributedly make reserve recordings of programs provided via broadcasting or communication. The method includes: an apparatus designation reception step wherein user's designation about the recording apparatus which will make the reservation recordings from among recording apparatuses for make reservation recording designated by the user, is accepted; and a recording reservation requesting step wherein the recording apparatus designated in the apparatus designation reception step is requested to make recording reservation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a reservation recording method and apparatus for distributed accumulation in a network in which a plurality of devices having a recording function to a storage medium such as a HDD (Hard Disc Drive) and a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) are connected.

  The number of programs that can be recorded by a device that records a television broadcast depends on the number of tuners that it has. For this reason, there is a recording method for requesting reservations from a plurality of devices connected to a P2P (Peer to Peer) network for recording of a back program that cannot be reserved by a device that has already been reserved for recording.

  Hereinafter, the device itself that has received the program recording reservation is referred to as “own device”. Registering a program recording reservation in another device in place of the device itself is called “proxy reservation”.

If the reservation recording method and the reservation recording device of the related art cannot be reserved for the device itself, the reservation can be automatically made depending on whether the recording reservation is made on the other device at that time or whether the free space is sufficient, If it is possible, a response indicating that reservation is possible is made and the recording reservation is completed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-6041

  However, in the conventional reservation recording method and the reservation recording apparatus, the proxy reservation is executed only when the own device cannot be reserved, and when the proxy reservation is performed, the server or the own device determines only whether the reservation is possible or not. Therefore, there is a problem that the user cannot make a recording reservation for an arbitrary device.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a distributed storage method that enables a user to make a recording reservation to an arbitrary device in accordance with the recording state and reservation state of another device.

  In order to solve the above problems, the distributed storage method of the present invention is a distributed storage method in which a plurality of recording devices distributes and reserves a program provided by broadcasting or communication, and recording of a reservation target program is performed. A device designation receiving step for accepting designation of a recording device to make a recording reservation from among possible recording devices, and a reservation requesting step for requesting a recording reservation to the recording device designated in the device designation accepting step.

  In this manner, the user selects a recording device as a recording destination from recording devices that can perform scheduled recording. As a result, the user can select any device capable of recording, and the user can make a recording reservation to any device according to the recording status and reservation status of other devices.

  Preferably, further, reservation information acquisition step of acquiring reservation information that is information related to a reservation target program, and device information reception step of receiving device information including a recording reservation status in each recording device via a network, A reservation availability determination step for determining whether or not each recording device can record a reservation target program based on the reservation information and each device information. In the device designation receiving step, From the recording devices that are determined to be recordable in the availability determination step, the user's designation regarding the device to be reserved for recording is accepted.

  The device information includes a time slot reserved for each recording device and the number of tuners included in each recording device, and the reservation information includes a time zone for recording a program to be reserved, In the availability determination step, it is determined that recording is possible for a recording device having a tuner that can be used in the time period included in the reservation information, and recording that does not have a tuner that can be used in the time period included in the reservation information. It is determined that scheduled recording is not possible for the device.

  Furthermore, the device information includes a free space of a storage medium included in each recording device after recording a reserved program, and the reservation information can calculate a storage medium capacity required for recording a reservation target program. In the reservation availability determination step, it is determined that a recording reservation is possible for a recording device whose free capacity is equal to or larger than the capacity calculated from the reservation information, and the free capacity is calculated from the reservation information. It is determined that recording reservation is impossible for a recording device having a capacity less than the specified capacity.

  As described above, based on the reservation information and the device information of each recording device, a device capable of recording the program that the user intends to reserve is determined. This saves the user the trouble of checking the status of each device and determining whether or not recording is possible, thereby improving user convenience.

  More preferably, in the device information receiving step, a management server that manages other recording devices among the plurality of recording devices receives device information including a recording reservation status of each recording device via a network. Receive.

  In the device information receiving step, a management server that manages other recording devices among the plurality of recording devices may obtain device information including a recording reservation status in each recording device at a predetermined cycle. Receive over the network.

  Further, in the device information receiving step, one management server that manages other recording devices among the plurality of recording devices determines device information including a recording reservation status in each recording device in advance. Received via the network when an event occurs.

  As described above, a distributed storage system including a plurality of recording devices connected via a network includes a management server that manages other recording devices, and the management server receives other device information. Therefore, since the device information is centrally managed by the management server, it is possible to reduce the load on other recording devices, and thus it is possible to make other recording devices relatively inexpensive.

  More preferably, in the device information receiving step, each recording device receives device information including a recording reservation status in each recording device via a network.

  Further, in the device information receiving step, each recording device receives device information including a recording reservation status in each recording device via a network at a predetermined cycle.

  Further, in the device information receiving step, each of the recording devices receives device information including a recording reservation status in each of the recording devices via a network when a predetermined event occurs.

  As described above, each of the recording devices constituting the distributed storage system connected via the network receives other device information. Accordingly, it is possible to distribute the load of the entire distributed storage system as compared with the case where the distributed storage system includes a management server. If a management server is provided, the distributed storage system will not function if a failure occurs in the management server, but each recording device can manage each recording device equally by receiving other device information. Therefore, for example, even if one of the recording devices fails, the distributed storage system functions. Therefore, it is possible to improve the fault tolerance of the distributed storage system.

  Note that the present invention can be realized not only as a distributed storage method including such characteristic steps, but also as a distributed storage device using the characteristic steps included in the distributed storage method as a means. It can also be realized as a program for causing a computer to execute the characteristic steps included in the storage method. Such a program can be distributed via a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) or a communication network such as the Internet.

  According to the present invention, the user can make a recording reservation to an arbitrary device according to the recording state and reservation state of each device. Also, in a system with multiple storage destinations connected via a network, make a recording reservation according to the conditions such as a device with a large HDD capacity or a device holding the recorded content of the same drama. This makes it easy to manage the user's program recording.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a distributed storage system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The distributed storage system according to Embodiment 1 includes a home server 20, an STB (Set Top Box) 30, an HDD recorder 40, and a DVD recorder 50 via, for example, a home network 10 that is a home communication line. Connected.

  The home server 20 is an example of a management server that stores television broadcasts and manages other devices. The home server 20 includes two tuners 22, 23, an HDD 24, a control unit 26, and a communication I / F (Inter Face). Part 28. The tuners 22 and 23 are processing units that synchronize television broadcasting, and the HDD 24 is a storage unit that stores content of television broadcasting and a device information management table 25 including device information for managing other devices. The control unit 26 is a processing unit that controls each unit included in the home server 20, and the communication I / F unit 28 is a processing unit that communicates with other devices via the home network 10.

  The STB 30 includes a tuner 32, an HDD 34, a communication I / F unit 36, and a control unit 38. Similarly to the tuner 22, the tuner 32 is a processing unit that tunes a television broadcast, the HDD 34 is a storage unit that stores content of the television broadcast, and the communication I / F unit 36 is a communication I / F unit 28. Similarly, the processing unit communicates with other devices via the home network 10, and the control unit 38 is a processing unit that controls each unit included in the STB 30.

  The HDD recorder 40 includes a tuner 42, an HDD 44, a communication I / F unit 46, and a control unit 48. Similarly to the tuner 22, the tuner 42 is a processing unit that tunes a television broadcast, the HDD 44 is a storage unit that stores the content of the television broadcast, and the communication I / F unit 46 is a communication I / F unit 28. Similarly, the processing unit communicates with other devices via the home network 10, and the control unit 48 is a processing unit that controls each unit included in the HDD recorder 40.

  The DVD recorder 50 includes a tuner 52, an HDD 54, a DVD 55, a communication I / F unit 56, and a control unit 58. Similarly to the tuner 22, the tuner 52 is a processing unit that tunes a television broadcast, the HDD 54 is a storage unit that stores the content of the television broadcast, and the DVD 55 is a processing unit that stores the content in a DVD that is a storage medium. Similarly to the communication I / F unit 28, the communication I / F unit 56 is a processing unit that communicates with other devices via the home network 10, and the control unit 58 controls each unit included in the DVD recorder 50. Is a processing unit.

  Such home server 20, STB 30, HDD recorder 40, and DVD recorder 50 are examples of recording devices. The control units 26, 38, 48, and 58 included in each device are an example of a device designation receiving unit that accepts designation of a recording device to be scheduled for recording from among recording devices capable of recording a reservation target program. In addition, the communication I / F units 28, 36, 46, and 56 included in each device request a recording reservation from the recording device according to the designation received by each control unit 26, 38, 48, and 58 included in the same recording device. It is an example of a reservation request means.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of device information included in the device information management table 25. The device information is information related to the recording or recording reservation of the device itself that each device connected to the home network 10 periodically transmits to the home server 20. The home server 20 holds device information regarding all received devices.

  The device information includes a device ID 61, a recording reservation list 63, a recorded content list 65, an HDD free space 67, and a tuner number 69. The device ID 61 is an ID (Identifier) for identifying each recording device, the recording reservation list 63 is information relating to a registered recording reservation, the recorded content list 65 is list information of recorded content, The HDD free capacity 67 is the HDD free capacity, and the tuner number 69 is the number of tuners provided in the device.

  The recording reservation list 63 and the recorded content list 65 include the information shown on the right side of FIG. That is, the recording reservation list 63 includes “recording date and time”, “recording time”, “program name”, “genre”, “recording mode”, and “recording source_device ID”. “Recording date” and “Recording time” are the date and time of the scheduled recording, respectively. “Program name” and “Genre” are the registered recording program and its genre, respectively. Yes, “recording mode” is a recording mode of a registered recording reservation, and “recording source_device ID” is a device ID of a device that is a registration source of a registered recording reservation. Here, for example, “SP” is stored in the standard mode, “LP” is stored in the long-time mode, “XP” is stored in the high-quality mode, and the like.

  For example, in the recording reservation list 63 shown in FIG. 2, “recording date” is “2/26 (day)”, “recording time” is “20: 00-21: 0”, “program name” is “xxx”, An example is shown in which information related to a recording reservation in which “genre” is “variety”, “recording mode” is “LP”, and “recording source_device ID” is “3” is included.

  The recorded content list 65 includes “recording date and time”, “recording time”, “program name”, “genre”, and “recording source_device ID”. “Recording date and time” and “recording time” are the date and time when the content was recorded, respectively. “Program name” and “Genre” are the name and genre of the recorded content, respectively. “Device ID” is the device ID of the recorded device.

  For example, in the recorded content list 65 shown in FIG. 2, the “recording date” is “1/30 (month)”, the “recording time” is “21: 00-22: 00”, and the “program name” is “yyy”. In this example, information related to a recording reservation in which “genre” is “drama” and “recording source_device ID” is “4” is shown.

  FIG. 3 is a time chart showing a procedure of a recording reservation communication process executed by each device constituting the distributed storage system according to the first embodiment at the time of recording registration. The management server shown in this figure is the home server 20, and the recording reservation source node and the recording reservation destination node are any of the STB 30, the HDD recorder 40, and the DVD recorder 50.

  The communication I / F unit 36 (46, 56) of each device transmits device information to the management server (S301 and S302). At the time of recording reservation, a device information reference request is transmitted to the home server 20 from a device that has received a reservation directly from the user (hereinafter referred to as “recording reservation source node”) (S303). Upon receiving the device information reference request, the communication I / F unit 28 of the home server 20 refers to device information of all devices (hereinafter referred to as “all device information”) held in the device information management table 25. The response is transmitted to the recording reservation source node (S304). The communication I / F unit 36 (46, 56) of the recording reservation source node accepts the recording reservation destination node selected by the user based on the received all device information (S305), and the selected device (hereinafter referred to as “recording reservation destination”). A recording reservation request is transmitted to the node (referred to as “node”) (S306). When the recording reservation process is completed, the communication I / F unit 36 (46, 56) of the recording reservation destination node that has received the recording reservation request transmits a reservation completion notification to the recording reservation source node (S307). When the recording reservation source node receives the reservation completion notification, the recording reservation process is completed.

  Next, a processing procedure in the reservation destination selection process (S305) executed by the recording reservation source node will be described in detail. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a detailed procedure of the reservation destination selection process (S305).

  First, the control unit 38 (48, 58) of the recording reservation source node repeats the remaining tuner number calculation process (S402) to the same genre content number calculation process (S408) for each device (S401).

  At the time of recording reservation at the recording reservation source node, the control unit 38 (48, 58) of the recording reservation source node uses the device information (n) at the recording date and time of the reserved program based on the device information received from the management server ( Hereinafter, the remaining number of tuners Tn of “device IDn”) is calculated (S402). Tn is calculated by subtracting the number of programs at the recording date and time included in the “recording reservation list” 63 from the “number of tuners” 69 of the device information received.

  The controller 38 (48, 58) of the recording reservation source node determines whether or not the remaining tuner number Tn is 1 or more (S403). If Tn is less than 1 (No in S403), the recording reservation source node cannot reserve the device IDn (S404).

  When the remaining tuner number Tn is 1 or more (Yes in S403) or after reservation reservation registration (S404), the controller 38 (48, 58) of the recording reservation source node displays “HDD free space” in the device information of the device IDn. 67, the free space Zn after completion of all the reserved recordings is calculated from the registered reserved recording time included in the recording reservation list 63 and the recording time of the program to be reserved (S405).

  The controller 38 (48, 58) of the recording reservation source node determines whether or not the free capacity Zn is 0 or more (S406). If the free capacity Zn is less than 0 (No in S406), the control unit 38 (48, 58) of the recording reservation source node disables reservation of the device IDn (S407).

  When the free space Zn is 0 or more (Yes in S406) or after the reservation is not registered (S407), the control unit 38 (48, 58) of the recording reservation source node records the recorded content list 65 of the device information of the device IDn. The number of contents Jn of the same genre as the genre of the program to be reserved is calculated (S408).

  When the above processing is completed for all devices, the control unit 38 (48, 58) of the recording reservation source node allows reservation of all devices, disables HDD free space Zn, number of remaining tuners Tn, and the genre of the program to be reserved. The number of genres of content Jn is displayed on the display (S409). At this time, the devices may be displayed in the order specified by the user in advance, such as the order in which the HDD has the largest free space or the order in which the content of the same genre as the program is retained. In addition, a default recording reservation destination may be designated in the home server 20. Furthermore, the sort type may be changed when selecting a device for recording reservation.

  The control unit 38 (48, 58) of the recording reservation source node accepts a user's selection relating to a device for which a recording reservation is desired from devices that can be reserved for recording, including its own device (S410). Here, “apparatus IDi” shown in the drawing indicates an apparatus whose apparatus ID is i, and it is assumed that the apparatus is selected. Then, the communication I / F unit 36 (46, 56) of the recording reservation source node transmits a recording reservation request to the selected device IDi (S411).

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of content information included in the recording reservation request. The content information shown in this figure includes “recording date / time”, “recording time”, “program name”, “genre”, “recording mode”, “reservation source_device ID”, and “recording destination”. _Device ID ". “Recording date and time” and “Recording time” are the date and time for recording reservation, “Program name” and “Genre” are the program name and its genre for recording reservation, and “Recording mode” is for recording “Reservation source_device ID” is the device ID of the device that has received the recording reservation from the user, and “Recording destination_device ID” is the device ID of the device for which the recording reservation has been registered. . For example, in this figure, “Recording date” is “2/28 (Tue)”, “Recording time” is “3: 00-5: 00”, “Program name” is “zzz”, An example where “genre” is “sports”, “recording mode” is “XP”, “reservation source_device ID” is “3”, and “recording destination_device ID” is “2”. Show.

  The controller 38 (48, 58) of the recording reservation source node determines whether or not a reservation completion notice has been received from the device IDi for which the recording reservation has been completed (S412). When the recording reservation source node receives the reservation completion notification (Yes in S412), the recording reservation processing is terminated. When the reservation completion notification is not received within a certain time (No in S412), the controller 38 (48, 58) of the recording reservation source node regards that the recording reservation has failed and continues the recording reservation displayed on the display. Based on the user's selection on whether or not to perform the recording, it is determined whether or not to end the recording reservation without completing (S413).

  When it is accepted that the user has selected to continue the recording reservation, the control unit 38 (48, 58) of the recording reservation source node determines that the recording reservation is not completed and does not end (No in S413), and the reservation is made. The process returns to the destination node selection reception process (S410). If it is accepted that the user has selected not to continue the recording reservation, the control unit 38 (48, 58) of the recording reservation source node determines that the recording reservation is not completed and ends (Yes in S413). Then, the reservation destination selection process (S305) is terminated.

  As described above, the home server 20 serving as the management server determines whether or not the free space of the HDD for each recording device is sufficient from the broadcast time zone and recording time of the reservation target program and all device information at the time of recording reservation. Whether or not it is possible to make a reservation for a program that the user intends to make a reservation recording on each recording device, based on whether or not the recording reservation is made during the broadcast time period, or if the recording reservation is made, the number of tuners for that time is sufficient Determine whether. Then, the recording reservation source node displays the determination result of the home server 20 on a display or the like.

  As a result, the user can select a recording reservation destination node from a list of recording devices that are candidates for a recording reservation destination node in the recording reservation source node, that is, a recording device that can record the reservation target program. The program can be recorded, and user convenience is improved.

  Further, the home server 20 calculates the number of programs of the same genre as the reservation target program among the programs already recorded in each recording device. Then, the recording reservation source node displays the calculation result on a display or the like.

  As a result, for example, a user who uses different recording devices depending on the genre of a program can determine which recording device is a recording device that collectively records programs of the genre of the reservation target program. It is possible to easily know whether or not the reservation target program can be recorded, and the convenience for the user can be improved.

  In the first embodiment, the home server 20 includes one communication I / F unit. However, a plurality of communication I / F units may be provided.

(Embodiment 2)
In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, there is no management server, and the devices constituting the distributed storage system are equivalent to each other in management related to reservation registration.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a distributed storage system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the distributed storage system according to the second embodiment, a home server 80, an STB 90, an HDD recorder 100, and a DVD recorder 110 are connected via a home network 10, and each device is the same as the first embodiment. Similarly, device information is periodically broadcast to all other devices via the home network 10, and each device holds all device information. Here, the home network 10 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

  The home server 80 is an example of a device that stores television broadcasts, and includes two tuners 22 and 23, an HDD 24, a control unit 26, and a communication I / F unit 28. The part which attached | subjected the same referential mark as the site | part with which the home server 20 which concerns on Embodiment 1 is provided has the same function, Therefore It abbreviate | omits description here.

  The control unit 86 is a processing unit that controls each unit included in the home server 80, similarly to the control unit 26 of the first embodiment. Unlike the control unit 26 of the first embodiment, the control unit 86 of the present embodiment performs control to transmit / receive device information included in the device information management table 25 to / from other devices at a predetermined timing.

  The STB 90 includes a tuner 32, a communication I / F unit 36, a control unit 98, and an HDD 94. The HDD recorder 100 also includes a tuner 42, a communication I / F unit 46, an HDD 104, and a control unit 108. Further, the DVD recorder 110 includes a tuner 52, a DVD 55, a communication I / F unit 56, an HDD 114, and a control unit 118.

  The parts denoted by the same reference numerals as the parts included in the STB 90, the HDD recorder 100, and the DVD recorder 110 according to the first embodiment have the same functions, and therefore description thereof is omitted here.

  The HDDs 94, 104, and 114 store device information management tables 95, 105, and 115, respectively, in addition to television broadcast content. The contents of the device information management tables 95, 105, and 115 here are the same as those of the device information management table 25 of the first embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted here.

  The control units 98, 108, and 118 are processing units that control each unit included in each device, similarly to the control units 38, 48, and 58 of the first embodiment. The difference from the control units 38, 48, 58 of the first embodiment is that control is performed to transmit / receive the device information included in the device information management tables 95, 105, 115 to / from other devices at a predetermined timing.

  Such home server 80, STB 90, HDD recorder 100, and DVD recorder 110 are examples of recording devices. The control units 86, 98, 108, and 118 included in each device are an example of a device designation accepting unit that accepts designation of a recording device to be scheduled for recording from among recording devices capable of recording a reservation target program. Further, the communication I / F units 28, 36, 46, and 56 included in each device request a recording reservation from the recording device according to the designation received by each control unit 86, 98, 108, and 118 included in the same recording device. It is an example of a reservation request means.

  FIG. 7 is a time chart showing a procedure of a recording reservation communication process executed by each device constituting the distributed storage system according to the second embodiment at the time of recording registration. It is assumed that the recording reservation source node that is the device ID 1 and the recording reservation destination node that is the device ID 2 and the device ID 3 are any one of the home server 80, the STB 90, the HDD recorder 100, and the DVD recorder 110 shown in FIG.

  First, the communication I / F unit 28 (36, 46, 56) of each device constituting the distributed storage system transmits device information to all the other devices connected to the network (S701 to S703). For example, in this figure, the device information of device ID1 and the device information of device ID2 are transmitted and received between device ID1 and device ID2 (S701). Further, the device information of the device ID 2 and the device information of the device ID 3 are transmitted and received between the device ID 2 and the device ID 3 (S702). Furthermore, the device ID 3 device information and the device information of the device ID 1 are transmitted and received between the device ID 3 and the device ID 1 (S 703).

  At the time of recording reservation, the control unit 86 (98, 108, 118) of the recording reservation source node refers to all device information included in its own device information management table, and the user selects based on the entire device information. The recording reservation destination node is accepted (S704), and the communication I / F unit 28 (36, 46, 56) of the recording reservation source node transmits a recording reservation request to the selected recording reservation destination node (S705). When the recording reservation processing by the control unit 98 (86, 108, 118) is completed, the communication I / F unit 36 (28, 46, 56) of the recording reservation destination node that has received the recording reservation request records the reservation completion notification. Transmit to the original node (S706). When the recording reservation source node receives the reservation completion notification, the recording reservation process is completed.

  Next, a processing procedure in the reservation destination selection process (S704) executed by the recording reservation source node will be described in detail. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a detailed procedure of the reservation destination selection process (S704).

  First, the controller 86 (98, 108, 118) of the recording reservation source node repeats the remaining tuner number calculation process (S802) to the same genre content number calculation process (S808) for each device.

  The controller 86 (98, 108, 118) of the recording reservation source node refers to all device information included in its own device information management table at the time of recording reservation and refers to the remaining device IDn at the recording date and time of the program to be reserved. The tuner number Tn is calculated (S802). Similarly to the first embodiment, Tn is calculated by subtracting the number of programs at the recording date and time included in the “recording reservation list” 63 from the “number of tuners” 69 of the device information.

  The controller 86 (98, 108, 118) of the recording reservation source node determines whether or not the remaining tuner number Tn is 1 or more (S803). If Tn is less than 1 (No in S803), the recording reservation source node disables reservation of the device IDn (S804).

  When the number of remaining tuners Tn is 1 or more (Yes in S803) or after reservation reservation registration (S804), the controller 86 (98, 108, 118) of the recording reservation source node displays “HDD” in the device information of the device IDn. The free space Zn after completion of all the reserved recordings is calculated from the registered reserved recording time included in the “free space” 67 and “recording reservation list” 63 and the recording time of the program to be reserved (S805).

  The controller 86 (98, 108, 118) of the recording reservation source node determines whether or not the free capacity Zn is 0 or more (S806). When the free capacity Zn is less than 0 (No in S806), the recording reservation source node cannot reserve the device IDn (S807).

  When the free space Zn is 0 or more (Yes in S406) or after reservation is not possible registration (S407), the controller 86 (98, 108, 118) of the recording reservation source node performs “recorded content list” of the device IDn. The number of contents Jn of the same genre as the genre of the program to be reserved is calculated from 65 (S808).

  When the above processing is completed for all the devices, the control unit 86 (98, 108, 118) of the recording reservation source node enables or disables reservation of all devices, HDD free space Zn, remaining tuner number Tn, genre of program to be reserved The number of contents Jn of the same genre is displayed on the display (S809). At this time, the devices may be displayed by sorting them in the order designated by the user in advance, such as the order in which the HDD has the largest free space or the order in which the content of the same genre as the program is retained. In addition, a default recording reservation destination may be designated. Furthermore, the sort type may be changed when selecting a device for recording reservation.

  The controller 86 (98, 108, 118) of the recording reservation source node accepts the selection of the user of the device that wants to make a recording reservation from the devices that can make a recording reservation, including its own device (S810). Then, the communication I / F unit 28 (36, 46, 56) of the recording reservation source node transmits a recording reservation request to the selected device (S811).

  The controller 86 (98, 108, 118) of the recording reservation source node determines whether or not a reservation completion notification has been received from a device for which recording reservation has been completed (S812). When the communication I / F unit 28 (36, 46, 56) of the recording reservation source node receives the reservation completion notification (Yes in S812), the recording reservation processing is terminated. When the reservation completion notification is not received within a certain time (No in S812), the recording reservation source node control unit 86 (98, 108, 118) considers that the recording reservation has failed, and displays the recording reservation displayed on the display. Based on the user's selection as to whether or not to continue the recording, it is determined whether or not to end without completing the recording reservation (S813).

  When it is accepted that the user has selected to continue the recording reservation, the control unit 86 (98, 108, 118) of the recording reservation source node determines that the recording reservation is not completed and does not end (No in S813). The process returns to the reservation destination node selection reception process (S810). If it is accepted that the user has selected not to continue the recording reservation, the controller 86 (98, 108, 118) of the recording reservation source node determines that the recording reservation is not completed (S813). Yes), the reservation destination selection process (S704) ends.

  The distributed storage system according to Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

  For example, the recording reservation list 8 and the recorded content list 9 do not have to satisfy the items in FIG. 2 such that the program name is not input or the genre item is not included. The transmission timing of the device information may be performed every time a predetermined “event” occurs such as recording reservation, editing, addition, deletion of recorded content, power-off, power-on, etc.

  Also, for example, program content may be provided via a communication line such as the Internet in addition to television broadcasting. In this case, each device is connected to a communication line such as the Internet that provides content.

  Further, for example, the broadcast time zone and the recording time of the reservation target program may be obtained from EPG (Electronic Program Guide) information. In this case, at the time of recording reservation, in the first embodiment, information for identifying a program by EPG is transmitted from the reservation source node to the management server.

  The distributed storage method and apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to a method and apparatus for distributing and storing broadcast programs in a network in which a plurality of devices having HDDs exist.

1 is a block diagram of a distributed storage system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the apparatus information contained in an apparatus information management table. 6 is a time chart showing a procedure of a recording reservation communication process executed at the time of recording registration by each device constituting the distributed storage system according to the first embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the detailed procedure of reservation destination selection process S305. It is a figure which shows an example of the content information contained in a recording reservation request. It is a block diagram of the distributed storage system which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. 6 is a time chart showing a procedure of a recording reservation communication process executed by each device constituting the distributed storage system according to the second embodiment at the time of recording registration. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the detailed procedure of reservation destination selection process S704.

Explanation of symbols

10 Home network 20, 80 Home server 22, 23, 32, 42, 52 Tuner 24, 34, 44, 54, 94, 104, 114 HDD
26, 38, 48, 58, 86, 98, 108, 118 Control unit 28, 36, 46, 56 Communication I / F unit 30, 90 STB
40, 100 HDD recorder 50, 110 DVD recorder 55 DVD

Claims (12)

A distributed storage method in which a plurality of recording devices distribute and reserve recording a program provided by broadcasting or communication,
A device designation accepting step for accepting designation of a recording device to be scheduled for recording from among recording devices capable of recording the program to be reserved;
And a reservation requesting step for requesting a recording reservation to the recording device specified in the device specification receiving step. Furthermore, a reservation information acquisition step for acquiring reservation information that is information related to a reservation target program;
A device information receiving step for receiving device information including a recording reservation status in each recording device via a network;
A reservation availability determination step for determining whether or not each recording device can record a reservation target program based on the reservation information and each device information;
The distributed storage method according to claim 1, wherein in the device designation receiving step, user designation regarding a device to be reserved for recording is received from the recording devices determined to be recordable in the reservation availability determination step. . The device information includes a time zone reserved for each recording device, and the number of tuners included in each recording device,
The reservation information includes a time zone for recording a reservation target program,
In the reservation availability determination step, it is determined that recording is possible for a recording device having a tuner that can be used in the time period included in the reservation information, and there is a tuner that can be used in the time period included in the reservation information. The distributed storage method according to claim 2, wherein it is determined that reserved recording is impossible for a recording device that does not. The device information includes a free capacity of a storage medium included in each recording device after recording a reserved program,
The reservation information includes information capable of calculating the capacity of a storage medium required for recording a reservation target program,
In the reservation availability determination step, it is determined that a recording reservation is possible for a recording device whose free capacity is equal to or larger than the capacity calculated from the reservation information, and the free capacity is calculated based on the reservation information. The distributed storage method according to claim 2, wherein it is determined that a recording reservation is impossible for a recording device that is less than the number. In the device information receiving step, a management server that manages other recording devices among the plurality of recording devices receives device information including a recording reservation status of each recording device via a network. 5. The distributed accumulation method according to claim 2, wherein the distributed accumulation method is any one of claims 2 to 4. In the device information receiving step, a management server that manages other recording devices among the plurality of recording devices sends device information including a recording reservation status of each recording device to a network at a predetermined cycle. The distributed accumulation method according to claim 5, wherein the distributed accumulation method is received. In the device information receiving step, one management server that manages other recording devices among the plurality of recording devices receives device information including a reservation status of recording in each recording device as a predetermined event. The distributed storage method according to claim 5, wherein the data is received via a network when it occurs. 5. The device information receiving step, wherein each of the recording devices receives device information including a recording reservation status of each of the recording devices via a network. The distributed accumulation method according to claim 1. 9. The device information receiving step, wherein each of the recording devices receives device information including a recording reservation status at each of the recording devices via a network at a predetermined cycle. The distributed accumulation method as described. 9. The device information receiving step, wherein each recording device receives device information including a recording reservation status of each recording device via a network when a predetermined event occurs. The distributed accumulation method described in 1. A distributed storage device in which a plurality of recording devices distribute and schedule recording a program provided by broadcasting or communication,
A device designation accepting means for accepting designation of a recording device to be scheduled for recording from among recording devices capable of recording the program to be reserved;
A distributed storage apparatus comprising: reservation requesting means for requesting a recording reservation to a recording device related to the designation received by the device designation receiving means. A distributed storage program in which a plurality of recording devices distribute and reserve recording a program provided by broadcasting or communication,
A device designation accepting step for accepting designation of a recording device to be scheduled for recording from among recording devices capable of recording the program to be reserved;
A distributed storage program characterized by causing a computer to execute a reservation requesting step for requesting a recording reservation to a recording device designated in the device designation receiving step.

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