# US 10,873,783 B2 · Information processing apparatus, information processing method, receiving apparatus, and receiving method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,873,783 B2 - Document ID: US10873783B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/774,802 - Filed: 2016-11-11 - Published: 2020-01-09 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2015-11-27 - Assignees: Sony Corporation - Applicants: Sony Corporation - Inventors: Masahiko Sato; Hideo Nagasaka - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10873783B2 ## CPC - G06F 13/00: Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units (interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 {; multiprogram control therefor G06F9/46}; multiprocessor systems G06F15/16 ) - H04N 21/4622: {Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet (web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859)} - H04N 21/2385: Channel allocation (H04N21/266 takes precedence); Bandwidth allocation (H04N21/24 takes precedence {; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16}) - H04N 21/274: Storing end-user {multimedia} data in response to end-user request {, e.g. network recorder} - H04N 21/4126: {The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones} - H04N 21/47205: {for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally} - H04N 21/482: End-user interface for programme selection - H04N 21/4821: {using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time} - H04N 21/8586: {by using a URL (processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02)} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract The present technology relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, a receiving apparatus, and a receiving method that aim at enabling a desired content to be viewed by a simpler operation. A server assigns a predetermined channel of a television receiver to a predetermined URL, associates a content specified by a predetermined electronic device with the URL, receives a request for the content associated with the URL from the television receiver in response to a selection of the channel in the television receiver, and controls the content to be distributed to the television receiver in response to the request. The television receiver receives the selection of the channel to which the URL is assigned by the server, transmits a request for the content to the server in response to the selection of the channel, and receives the content distributed in response to the request. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An information processing apparatus comprising: an assignment unit configured to assign a predetermined channel of a television receiver to predetermined specific information; an association unit configured to associate at least one content specified by a predetermined electronic device with the specific information and to associate the specific information with an ID that identifies the electronic device; a receiving unit configured to receive a request for the content associated with the specific information from the television receiver in response to a selection of the channel in the television receiver; and a distribution control unit configured to control the content to be distributed to the television receiver in response to the request. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the assignment unit assigns the different channels to respective pieces of the specific information, and the association unit associates the respective pieces of the specific information with the contents for each class of the contents. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the class of the content is a kind of medium. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the class of the content is a category of the content or an intensity of a preference of the user of the electronic device that specifies the content. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the association unit associates the content specified by the electronic device with the specific information in response to acquisition of information displayed on a display unit of the television receiver by the electronic device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the information displayed on the display unit includes channel information indicating the channel assigned to the specific information, and in response to the acquisition of the channel information by the electronic device, the association unit associates the specific information assigned to the channel indicated by the channel information with the content for each class of the content. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where a plurality of the contents and the specific information are associated with each other, the distribution control unit controls the plurality of contents to be sequentially distributed to the television receiver in a predetermined order in response to the request. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the distribution control unit controls the plurality of contents to be sequentially distributed to the television receiver in an order of time at which the contents are specified by the electronic device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: a setting unit configured to set priorities of the distribution of the plurality of contents specified by the electronic device, wherein in accordance with the set priorities, the distribution control unit controls the plurality of contents to be sequentially distributed to the television receiver. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the setting unit sets the priorities on a basis of an operation of the user to the electronic device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the channel is an unused channel that is not used for television broadcasting. ### Claim 12 An information processing method comprising the steps of: assigning a predetermined channel of a television receiver to predetermined specific information; associating at least one content specified by a predetermined electronic device or a predetermined user with the specific information; associating the specific information with an ID that identifies the electronic device; receiving a request for the content associated with the specific information from the television receiver in response to a selection of the channel in the television receiver; and controlling the content to be distributed to the television receiver in response to the request. ### Claim 13 A receiving apparatus comprising: a selection receiving unit configured to receive a selection of a predetermined channel to which predetermined specific information is assigned by a predetermined information processing apparatus; a transmitting unit configured to transmit a request for at least one content specified by a predetermined electronic device or a predetermined user, the content being associated by the information processing apparatus with an ID that identifies the electronic device, to the information processing apparatus in response to the selection of the channel; and a receiving unit configured to receive the content distributed in response to the request. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The receiving apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising: an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) data generation unit configured to generate EPG data for displaying an EPG including display information indicating that the content is distributed in the channel. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The receiving apparatus according to claim 14, wherein in a case where a plurality of the contents are distributed, the EPG data generation unit generates the EPG data for displaying side by side the display information of the plurality of distributed contents in a predetermined order in a direction indicating a time axis in the EPG. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The receiving apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the predetermined order is an order of time at which the contents are specified by the electronic device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The receiving apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the predetermined order is priorities set on a basis of an operation of the user of the electronic device that specifies the content. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The receiving apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the predetermined order is a descending order of intensity of preference of the user of the electronic device that specifies the content or an order based on a reproduction time of the content. ### Claim 19 A receiving method comprising the steps of: receiving a selection of a predetermined channel to which predetermined specific information is assigned by a predetermined information processing apparatus; a transmitting unit configured to transmit a request for at least one content specified by a predetermined electronic device or a predetermined user, the content being associated by the information processing apparatus with an ID that identifies the electronic device, to the information processing apparatus in response to the selection of the channel; and receiving the content distributed in response to the request. ### Claim 20 An information processing apparatus comprising: at least one processor configured to load a program stored on non-transitory storage media, the program causing the at least one processor to: associate at least one content specified by a predetermined electronic device with the specific information and to associate the specific information with an ID that identifies the electronic device, receive a request for the content associated with the specific information from the television receiver in response to a selection of the channel in the television receiver, control the content to be distributed to the television receiver in response to the request; and a display that displays the ID that identifies the electronic device.