Display apparatus, display system and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9648382-B2
Application number	US-201414305344-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2014
Priority date	Jun 21, 2013
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

A display apparatus connected to a content server via a network, includes a content acquisition unit that acquires content with an input format; an input format detection unit that detects an input format of content to be acquired; a storage unit that stores information on the content server connected to the display apparatus; a server search unit that searches for a content server in the network; and a server connection unit that, upon the input format detection unit detecting that the input format of the content to be acquired is an input format of content acquired from a content server, connects to at least one of a content server specified by the information stored in the storage unit and a content server searched for and detected by the server search unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display apparatus connected to a content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus via a network, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory, wherein the processor is configured to:
receive an input type of content for the display apparatus;
detect switching of the input type in response to the received input type;
store information on the content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus connected to the display apparatus in the memory;
search for a content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus in the network;
upon detecting switching of the input type for switching to an input from a content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus, connect to at least one of a content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus specified by the information stored in the memory and a searched for content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus that is detected; and
reproduce content acquired from the at least one of the content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus specified by the information stored in the memory and the searched for content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus that is detected.

2. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
display a list of the content servers that are connected.

3. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the memory includes a server information table in which the information of the content server is registered for a name of the content server and a server related information table in which the information of the content server and information of a type of the content server are registered, the information of the content server being connected to the information of the type of the content server, and
the processor is configured to display the name of the content server and related information of the content server registered in the server related information table.

4. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein
the memory includes a server related information setup table in which information of a validity of a type of a content server registered in the server related information table is set by a user, and
the processor is configured to search for the content server based on the information of the validity set in the server related information setup table.

5. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein in the server related information setup table, either “valid” or “invalid” is set for the information of the validity.

6. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , wherein
when the information of the validity set in the server related information setup table indicates “valid”, the processor searches for the content server, and
when the information of the validity set in the server related information setup table indicates “invalid”, the processor does not search for the content server.

7. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus specified by the information stored in the memory is a first type,
the searched for content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus is a second type, and
the first type is different from the second type.

8. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the first type is a connection process that is different from the second type.

9. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the first type is a connection standard that is different from the second type.

10. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the first type is an Extensible Location Free Projection.

11. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the second type is a Digital Living Network Alliance.

12. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein
the first type is an Extensible Location Free Projection, and
the second type is a Digital Living Network Alliance.

13. A display system including a display apparatus and a content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus which is connected to the display apparatus via a network, the display apparatus comprising:
a processor; and
a memory, wherein the processor is configured to:
receive an input type of content for the display apparatus;
detect switching of the input type in response to the received input type;
store information on the content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus connected to the display apparatus in the memory;
search for a content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus in the network;
detecting switching of the input type for switching to an input from a content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus, connect to at least one of a content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus specified by the information stored in the memory and a searched for content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus that is detected;
display a list of the content servers that are connected; and
reproduce content acquired from the at least one of the content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus specified by the information stored in the memory and the searched for content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus that is detected.

14. The display system as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the list of the content servers includes the content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus specified by the information stored in the memory and the searched for content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus that is detected.

15. The display system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein
the content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus specified by the information stored in the memory is a first type,
the searched for content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus is a second type, and
the first type is different from the second type.

16. The display system as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the first type is a connection process that is different from the second type.

17. The display system as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the first type is a connection standard that is different from the second type.

18. The display system as claimed in claim 17 , wherein
the first type is an Extensible Location Free Projection, and
the second type is a Digital Living Network Alliance.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a display apparatus, that is connected to a content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus via a network and includes a memory that stores information on the content server connected to the display apparatus, to perform a process of displaying content, the process of displaying content comprising:
an input type reception step of receiving an input type of content for the display apparatus;
an input type switching detection step of detecting switching of the input type in response to the received input type;
a server search step of searching for a content server that stores content for reproduction on the display apparatus in the network;

Assignees

• Nakamura Rie
• Sakai Daisuke
• Torii Osamu
• Ozaki Hiroki
• Fujikawa Kazuya
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nakamura Rie
• Sakai Daisuke
• Torii Osamu
• Ozaki Hiroki
• Fujikawa Kazuya

Classifications

• H04N21/485

  End-user interface for client configuration · CPC title

• H04N21/43615 Primary

  Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals (home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805) · CPC title

• H04N21/4516

  involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available · CPC title

• H04N21/44227

  Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network (configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811) · CPC title

• H04L12/2809

  indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network (monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51) · CPC title