# US 7,609,936 B2 · Content recording/reproducing apparatus and method, storage medium and computer program > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,609,936 B2 - Document ID: US7609936B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 10/062,991 - Filed: 2002-02-01 - Published: 2002-08-29 - Granted: 2009-10-27 - Earliest claimed: 2001-02-02 - Assignees: Sony Corporation - Inventors: Takehiko Nakano - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7609936B2 ## CPC - H04N 5/76: Television signal recording - H04N 5/781: on disks or drums - H04N 5/913: for scrambling {; for copy protection} - H04N 9/8042: {involving data reduction} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract The present invention is intended to present to audience of content a remaining reproducible period of that content limited in recording retention period. If the information recording retention period is restricted for the purpose of copyright protection for example as with broadcast content for example, a relationship between its limit time and the current time can be presented to the audience of the content. Therefore, the audience can know the remaining viewable period up to the limit time or how long it has passed since the passing of the limit time, thereby understanding the status of a system operation for recording time-limited information. In addition, automatically starting the reproduction of content immediately before its time limit for reproduction can prevent the audience from inadvertent failure of viewing. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A content recording/reproducing apparatus for controlling the recording and reproducing of content limited in viewable period, comprising: content recording means for recording content; determination means for determining a viewable period of the recorded content; presentation means for presenting information associated with said viewable period of said recorded content; content reproduction means for reproducing said recorded content; and reproduction control means for controlling a reproducing operation of said content reproduction means in accordance with said viewable period of said recorded content, wherein the recorded content includes a plurality of frames and each frame has a corresponding viewable period that is obtained by subtracting a first value, corresponding to the combination of a current time and a time needed for starting reproduction, from a second value, corresponding to the combination of the viewable period and a recording time of the frame. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The content recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determination means determines said viewable period of content on the basis of a recording retention period unique to each content. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The content recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said determination means determines said viewable period of content on the basis of a period of time from at least one of a point of time at which the distribution of said content is started and a point of time at which at least one of the reception and recording of said content is started by said content recording means to a point of time at which said recording retention period given to said content passes. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The content recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said determination means determines said viewable period of content on the basis of a period of time from a point of time at which the reproduction of said content is first started by said content reproduction means to a point of time at which said recording retention period given to said content passes. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The content recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said presentation means presents said information associated with said viewable period of said recorded content by superimposing said information on a reproduction signal of said content generated by said content reproduction means. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The content recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said presentation means presents said information associated with said viewable period of said recorded content through an output device different from a reproduction output device of said content. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The content recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said presentation means transmits said information associated with said viewable period of said recorded content to a predetermined communication path. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The content recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reproduction control means prohibits the reproduction of the content of which viewable period has passed, by said content reproduction means. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The content recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: control input means for accepting user command input; wherein, in response to an instruction for moving a content viewing start position through said control input means, said reproduction control means instructs said content reproduction means to move a content viewing position and said presentation means presents information associated with the viewable period of the reproduced content. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The content recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: control input means for accepting user command input; wherein, in response to an instruction for clearing a viewing pause operation through said control input means, said presentation means presents said information associated with said viewable period of said content, and if said viewable period of said content has not been passed, said reproduction control means instructs said content reproduction means to start reproducing said content. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The content recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in response to the expiration of said viewable period of content in a viewing paused state, said reproduction control means starts reproducing said content in the viewing paused state regardless of a user instruction for clearing said viewing paused state. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The content recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in response to the expiration of said viewable period of content in a viewing paused state, said reproduction control means starts reproducing said content in the viewing paused state regardless of a user instruction for clearing said viewing paused state and said presentation means presents an elapsed time from the start of the reproduction of said content and/or information indicative of the expiration of said viewable period. ### Claim 13 A computer-implemented content recording/reproducing method for controlling the recording and reproduction of content limited in viewable period, the computer including a processor and memory and the method comprising the steps performed by the computer of: recording by the processor content; determining by the processor a viewable period of the recorded content; presenting by the processor information associated with said viewable period of said recorded content; and reproducing by the processor said recorded content in accordance with a relationship between a recording retention period of said recorded content and a current time, wherein the recorded content includes a plurality of frames and each frame has a corresponding viewable period that is obtained by subtracting a first value, corresponding to the combination of a current time and a time needed for starting reproduction, from a second value, corresponding to the combination of the viewable period and a recording time of the frame. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The content recording/reproducing method according to claim 13, wherein, in said determination step, said viewable period of content is determined on the basis of a recording retention period unique to each content. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The content recording/reproducing method according to claim 14, wherein, in said determination step, said viewable period of content is determined on the basis of a period of time from at least one of a point of time at which the distribution of said content is started and a point of time at which at least one of the reception and recording of said content is started in said content recording step to a point of time at which said recording retention period given to said content passes. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The content recording/reproducing method according to claim 14, wherein, in said determination step, said viewable period of content is determined on the basis of a period of time from a point of time at which the reproduction of said content is first started in said content reproduction step to a point of time at which said recording retention period given to said content passes. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The content recording/reproducing method according to claim 13, wherein, in said presentation step, said information associated with said viewable period of said recorded content is presented by superimposing said information on a reproduction signal of said content. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The content recording/reproducing method according to claim 13, wherein, in said presentation step, said information associated with said viewable period of said recorded content is presented through an output device different from a reproduction output device of said content. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The content recording/reproducing method according to claim 13, wherein, in said presentation step, said information associated with said viewable period of said recorded content is transmitted to a predetermined communication path. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The content recording/reproducing method according to claim 13, wherein, in said reproduction control step, the reproduction of the content of which viewable period has passed is prohibited. ### Claim 21 (depends on 13) The content recording/reproducing method according to claim 13, wherein, in response to an instruction for moving a content viewing start position from a user, a content viewing position is moved in said content reproduction step, and information associated with the viewable period of the reproduced content is presented in said presentation step. ### Claim 22 (depends on 13) The content recording/reproducing method according to claim 13, wherein, in response to an instruction for clearing a viewing pause operation from a user, said information associated with said viewable period of said content is presented in said presentation step, and if said viewable period of said content has not been passed, said content is reproduced in said content reproduction step. ### Claim 23 (depends on 13) The content recording/reproducing method according to claim 13, wherein, in response to the expiration of said viewable period of content in a viewing paused state, the reproduction of said content in the viewing paused state is started in said content reproduction step regardless of a user instruction for clearing said viewing paused state. ### Claim 24 (depends on 13) The content recording/reproducing method according to claim 13, wherein, in response to the expiration of said viewable period of content in a viewing paused state, the reproduction of said content in the viewing paused state is started in said content reproduction step regardless of a user instruction for clearing said viewing paused state and an elapsed time from the start of the reproduction of said content and/or information indicative of the expiration of said viewable period is presented in said presentation step. ### Claim 25 A storage medium physically storing computer software in a computer-readable format, said computer software being written so as to execute, on a computer system, control of recording and reproducing operations of content limited in viewable period, said computer software comprising the steps of: recording content; determining a viewable period of the recorded content; presenting information associated with said viewable period of said recorded content; and reproducing said recorded content in accordance with a relationship between a recording retention period of said recorded content and a current time, wherein the recorded content includes a plurality of frames and each frame has a corresponding viewable period that is obtained by subtracting a first value, corresponding to the combination of a current time and a time needed for starting reproduction, from a second value, corresponding to the combination of the viewable period and a recording time of the frame.