# US 8,543,229 B2 · Data reproducing apparatus, data reproducing method and information storing medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,543,229 B2 - Document ID: US8543229B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/092,525 - Filed: 2006-08-21 - Published: 2009-09-24 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2005-11-09 - Assignees: Sony Corporation; Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. - Applicants: Tsutomu Ogasawara; Tsunayuki Ohwa - Inventors: Tsutomu Ogasawara; Tsunayuki Ohwa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8543229B2 ## CPC - G11B 27/102: {Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers (access by moving the head G11B3/08, G11B5/54, G11B7/085, G11B21/022; by moving the record carrier G11B15/005, G11B17/005, by driving of both record carrier and head G11B15/1816)} - G11B 27/02: Editing, e.g. varying the order of information signals recorded on, or reproduced from, record carriers - G11B 27/11: by using information not detectable on the record carrier - G11B 27/36: Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing {(for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06)} - H04N 5/76: Television signal recording - H04N 9/8205: {involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal} - H04N 21/4325: {by playing back content from the storage medium (reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79)} - H04N 21/44222: {Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programmes or purchase activity (monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33)} - H04N 21/4532: {involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18)} - H04N 21/458: Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules {; time-related management operations (arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10)} - H04N 21/4667: {Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections} - G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract When a plurality of items of data are sequentially read and reproduced from a data storing means which stores the data, data suited to a user's mood at the moment or a situation is selected to be reproduced without needing any complex operation. A data reproducing apparatus for sequentially reading and reproducing a plurality of items of data from a data storing unit (104) which stores the data includes: a reproduction history storing unit (202) that stores reproduction history including identification information of data at least a part of which has been reproduced; an identification information reading unit (204) that reads the identification information of some or all of the data from the reproduction history storing unit (202); a reproduction characteristic information generating unit (208) that generates, based on the characteristic information of data identified by the read identification information, reproduction characteristic information regarding a predetermined situation; and a reproducing order setting unit (212) that sets a data reproducing order based on the reproduction characteristic information and characteristic information of a part or all of the data stored in the data storing unit (104). ## Claims ### Claim 1 A data reproducing apparatus including reproducing means for sequentially reading and reproducing a plurality of items of data from data storing means which stores the data, comprising: situation information obtaining means for selecting an item of situation information from a plurality of items of situation information, wherein each item of situation information indicates a situation during reproduction of the data based on a current environment information; reproduction history storing means for storing reproduction history containing identification information of data at least a part of which has been reproduced by the reproducing means, wherein the reproduction history contains an evaluation value for each item of the situation information in association with each item of the identification information; identification information reading means for reading the identification information of some or all of the data reproduced in a situation indicated by the selected situation information from the reproduction history storing means; reproduction characteristic information generating means for weighting and combining characteristic information of data identified by the identification information read by the identification information reading means so as to generate reproduction characteristic information based on the evaluation value for the selected item of the situation information associated with the identification information read from the identification information reading means; the characteristic information of the data which indicates musical characteristics of the data; and reproducing order setting means for setting a reproducing order of reading and reproducing the data from the data storing means by the reproducing means based on the reproduction characteristic information generated by the reproduction characteristic information generating means and characteristic information of some or all of the data stored in the data storing means. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The data reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification information reading means reads the identification information of some or all of data reproduced in a current situation from the reproduction history storing means. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The data reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: the reproduction history further contains time information regarding reproduction of the data for each item, of the identification information; and the identification information reading means reads the identification information of some or all of the data reproduced in the current situation from the reproduction history storing means based on current time. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The data reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the identification information reading means reads identification information of some or all of the data reproduced in the current situation from the reproduction history storing means based on the reproducing order of the data identified by the identification information contained in the reproduction history. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The data reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation value is set based on a reproduction state of the data identified by the characteristic information read by the characteristic information reading means. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The data reproducing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the evaluation value is set based on whether reproduction of the data identified by the characteristic information read by the characteristic information reading means has been completed. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The data reproducing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the evaluation value is set based on whether reproduction of the data identified by the characteristic information read by the characteristic information reading means has been repeated. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The data reproducing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the evaluation value is set based on whether reproduction of the data identified by the characteristic information read by the characteristic information reading means has been skipped midway. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The data reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising operating means for detecting a predetermined priority setting operation for a specific piece of the data from a user, and wherein the evaluation value is set according to whether the operating means has detected the priority setting operation from the user. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The data reproducing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the specific piece of the data is data currently being reproduced by the reproducing means. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The data reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reproducing order setting means obtains predetermined correlation information indicating a correlation between the reproduction characteristic information generated by the reproduction characteristic information generating means and characteristic information of some or all of the data stored in the data storing means, and sets the reproducing order of the data based on the correlation information. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The data reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reproducing order setting means sets the reproducing order of the data selected according to a presence or absence of reproduction at and after a predetermined time. ### Claim 13 A data reproducing method including a reproducing step of sequentially reading and reproducing a plurality of items of data from data storing means which stores the data, the data reproducing method comprising: a step of controlling reproduction history storing means to store reproduction history containing identification information of data at least a part of which has been reproduced in the reproducing step; situation information obtaining step of selecting an item of situation information from a plurality of items of situation information, wherein each item of situation information indicates a situation during reproduction of the data based on a current environment information, and wherein the reproduction history contains an evaluation value for each item of the situation information in association with each item of the identification information; an identification information reading step of reading the identification information of some or all of the data reproduced in a situation indicated by the selected situation information from the reproduction history storing means; a reproduction characteristic information generating step of weighting and combining characteristic information of data identified by the identification information read in the identification information reading step so as to generate reproduction characteristic information based on the evaluation value for the selected item of the situation information associated with the read identification information; the characteristic information of the data which indicates musical characteristics of the data; and a reproducing order setting step of setting a reproducing order of reading and reproducing the data from the data storing means in the reproducing step based on the reproduction characteristic information generated in the reproduction characteristic information generating step and characteristic information of some or all of the data stored in the data storing means. ### Claim 14 A non-transitory computer-readable information storing medium for storing a program for controlling a computer to function as a data reproducing apparatus including reproducing means for sequentially reading and reproducing a plurality of items of data from data storing means which stores the data, the computer-readable information storing medium storing a program for controlling the computer to function as: situation information obtaining means for selecting an item of situation information from a plurality of items of situation information, wherein each item of situation information indicates a situation during reproduction of the data based on a current environment information; reproduction history storing means for storing reproduction history containing identification information of data at least a part of which has been reproduced by the reproducing means, wherein the reproduction history contains an evaluation value for each item of the situation information in association with each item of the identification information; identification information reading means for reading the identification information of some or all of the data reproduced in a situation indicated by the selected situation information from the reproduction history storing means; reproduction characteristic information generating means for weighting and combining characteristic information of data identified by the identification information read by the identification information reading means so as to generate reproduction characteristic information based on the evaluation value for the selected item of the situation information associated with the identification information read from the identification information reading means; the characteristic information of the data which indicates musical characteristics of the data; and reproducing order setting means for setting a reproducing order of reading and reproducing the data from the data storing means by the reproducing means based on the reproduction characteristic information generated by the reproduction characteristic information generating means and the characteristic information of some or all of the data stored in the data storing means.