Communication Apparatus, Communication Method, and Recording Medium Storing Program

Abstract

When a communication apparatus (server device) that includes wireless access means and can send content data by using the wireless access means starts sending content data, it calculates a communication band that remains available for the server device to perform communication, so that any content that has a rate equal to or greater than the remaining communication band may not be publicized open to and may not hence be sent to a client device.

1 . A communication apparatus that sends content data to another communication apparatus via a network, comprising:
 a content candidate information storage unit that retains content candidate information that specifies content data candidates that may be sent by the communication apparatus to another communication apparatus;   a remaining communication band information obtaining unit that obtains remaining communication band information that indicates a communication band, of a total communication band available for use by the communication apparatus, that can be used at a time concerned;   a content sending unit that sends any content data specified in the content candidate information to said another communication apparatus;   a communication control unit that controls sending of content data by the content sending unit based on the content candidate information retained by the content candidate information storage unit and the remaining communication band information obtained by the remaining communication band information obtaining unit; and   a content sending start determining unit that determines whether or not the content sending unit has started sending content data to said another communication apparatus, wherein in a case where the content sending start determining unit determines that sending of content data has been started, the remaining communication band information obtaining unit updates the remaining communication band information.   
     
     
         2 . The communication apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the communication control unit prohibits sending of one or more of the content data indicated in the content candidate information, based on the content candidate information retained by the content candidate information storage unit and the remaining communication band information calculated by the remaining communication band information calculating unit.   
     
     
         3 . The communication apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the content candidate information retained by the content candidate information storage unit includes, for each of the content data candidates, required band information that indicates a communication band required to transmit the content data, and   the communication control unit includes:   an un-sendable content extracting unit that extracts any content data that requires a communication band equal to or greater than a remaining communication band as an un-sendable content, based on the remaining communication band information obtained by the remaining communication band information obtaining unit and the content candidate information retained by the content candidate information storage unit; and   a content candidate updating unit that prohibits sending of the content data extracted by the un-sendable content extracting unit, by excluding the content candidate information about the content data from the content candidate information retained by the content candidate information storage unit.   
     
     
         4 . The communication apparatus according to  claim 2 , comprising a streaming-sending request determining unit that determines whether or not another communication apparatus has given a streaming-sending request for any content data specified in the content candidate information,
 wherein the content candidate information retained by the content candidate information storage unit includes, for each content data candidate, information that indicates a communication band required for transmitting the content data, and   the communication control unit, includes:   a content sending determining unit that determines, for any content data for which the streaming-sending request determining unit determines that a streaming-sending request has been given, whether a communication band of the content data, for which the streaming-sending request has been given, is equal to or smaller than a remaining communication band or not, based on the remaining communication band information obtained by the remaining communication band information obtaining unit and the content candidate information retained by the content candidate information storage unit; and   a streaming-sending prohibiting unit that prohibits sending of the content data for which the streaming-sending request has been given, in a case where the content sending determining unit determines that the communication band required for transmitting the content data for which the streaming-sending request has been given is neither equal to nor smaller than the remaining communication band.   
     
     
         5 . The communication apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the content candidate information retained by the content candidate information storage unit indicates, for each content data, a communication band necessary for transmitting the content data, and includes, for each content data, a streaming mode flag that indicates whether it is possible or not to streaming-send the content data, and   the communication control unit includes:   an un-sendable content extracting unit that extracts any content data that requires, for the content data to be sent, a communication band equal to or greater than a remaining communication band, based on the remaining communication band information obtained by the remaining communication band information obtaining unit and the content candidate information retained by the content candidate information storage unit; and   a flag setting unit that sets, for any content data extracted by the un-sendable content extracting unit, the streaming-mode flag in the content candidate information retained by the content candidate information storage unit to “FALSE”.   
     
     
         6 . The communication apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the communication control unit includes a processing unit that processes one or more content data specified in the content candidate information, based on the content candidate information retained by the content candidate information storage unit and the remaining communication band information obtained by the remaining communication band information obtaining unit.   
     
     
         7 . The communication apparatus according to  claim 6 ,
 wherein the content candidate information retained by the convent candidate information storage unit includes, for each content data candidate, information that indicates a communication band necessary for transmitting the content data, and   the communication control unit includes an un-sendable content extracting unit that extracts any content data that requires, for the content data to be sent, a communication band equal to or greater than a remaining communication band, based on the remaining communication band information obtained by the remaining communication band information obtaining unit and the content candidate information retained by the content candidate information storage unit, and   the processing unit includes a data processing unit that data-processes any content data that is determined by the un-sendable content extracting unit as requiring a communication band equal to or greater than the remaining communication band, such that the content data requires, for the content data to be sent, a communication band equal to or smaller than the remaining communication band.   
     
     
         8 . The communication apparatus according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein the data processing unit includes means that transcodes content data extracted by the un-sendable content extracting unit as requiring a communication band equal to or greater than the remaining communication band for the content data to be sent, such that all such data require a communication band equal to or smaller than the remaining communication band, and   the communication apparatus includes a content candidate information updating unit that, after the transcoding by the data processing unit, excludes the content candidate information about the content data that requires a communication band equal to or greater than the remaining communication band for the content data to be sent from the content candidate information retained by the content candidate information storage unit, and stores content candidate information about the transcoded content data in the content candidate information storage unit.   
     
     
         9 . The communication apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the content candidate information retained by the content candidate information storage unit includes, for each content data candidate, information that indicates a communication band required for transmitting the content data, and   the communication control unit includes:   an un-sendable content extracting unit that extracts any content data that requires a communication band equal to or greater than a remaining communication band for the content data to be sent, based on the remaining communication band Information obtained by the remaining communication band information obtaining unit and the content candidate information retained by the content candidate information storage unit; and   a separation notifying unit that, in a case where the un-sendable content extracting unit extracts any content data that requires a communication band equal to or greater than the remaining communication band for the content data to be sent, disconnects the communication apparatus from the network and notifies another communication apparatus that the communication apparatus is separated from the network.   
     
     
         10 . The communication apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the content candidate information retained by the content candidate information storage unit includes, for each content data candidate, information that indicates a communication band required for sending the content data,   the communication apparatus includes: a total communication band information storage unit that retains total communication band Information that indicates a total communication band available for use by the communication apparatus to perform communication; and a communication band in use obtaining unit that obtains communication band in use information that indicates a communication band, of the total communication band, that is used at a time concerned for performing sending, based on the content candidate information retained by the content candidate information storage unit, and   the remaining communication band information obtaining unit obtains the remaining communication band information based on the total communication band information retained by the total communication band information storage unit and the communication band in use information obtained by the communication band in use obtaining unit.   
     
     
         11 . The communication apparatus according to  claim 10 , comprising: plural kinds of access means that gain access to the network; and access means-to-be-used information obtaining unit that obtains access means-to-be-used information that indicates access means-to-be-used, which is access means, of the plural kinds of access means, that is to be used at a time concerned,
 wherein the total communication band information storage unit retains the total communication band information in association with the access means of each kind, and   the remaining communication band information obtaining unit calculates the remaining communication band information based on the total communication band information, of the total communication band information retained by the total communication band information storage unit, that is associated with the access means-to-be-used indicated in the access means-to-be-used information obtained by the access means-to-be-used information obtaining unit and based on the communication band in use information obtained by the communication band in use obtaining unit.   
     
     
         12 . The communication apparatus according to  claim 11 , comprising an access means associating unit that associates any application, of applications installed on the communication apparatus, that involves communication, with any one of the plural kinds of access means or with two or more of the plural kinds of access means to which priority orders are given. 
     
     
         13 . The communication apparatus according to  claim 12 , comprising a usable access means information obtaining unit that obtains usable access means information that indicates access means, of the plural kinds of access means, that can be used at a time concerned,
 wherein the access means-to-be-used information obtaining unit obtains the access means-to-be-used information based on the usable access means information obtained by the usable access means information obtaining unit and the access means associating unit.   
     
     
         14 . The communication apparatus according to  claim 1 , comprising a content sending start determining unit that determines whether or not the content sending unit has started sending content data to another communication apparatus,
 wherein in a case where the content sending start determining unit determines that sending of content data has been started, the remaining communication band information obtaining unit updates the remaining communication band information.   
     
     
         15 . The communication apparatus according to  claim 1 , comprising a remaining communication band determining unit that determines whether a remaining communication band has changed or not,
 wherein in a case where the remaining communication band determining unit determines that the remaining communication band has changed, the remaining communication band information obtaining unit updates the remaining communication band information.   
     
     
         16 . A communication method, comprising the steps of:
 storing content candidate information that specifies content data candidates that may be sent by a first communication apparatus to another communication apparatus;   obtaining information of a remaining communication band that indicates a communication band, of a total communication band that is available for use by the first communication apparatus, for sending contents, that can be used at a time concerned;   sending, to said another communication apparatus, of any content data specified in the content candidate information;   controlling the sending in said sending step based on the content candidate information and the remaining communication band information;   determining whether or not the sending of content data in said sending step has commenced; and   updating the remaining communication band information if said sending step has commenced.   
     
     
         17 . A recording medium that stores a program for controlling a computer to function, in a communication apparatus that sends content data to another communication apparatus via a network, as:
 a storing unit which stores content candidate information that specifies content data candidates that may be sent by a first communication apparatus to another communication apparatus;   an obtaining unit that obtains information of a remaining communication band that indicates a communication band, of a total communication band that is available for use by the first communication apparatus, for sending contents, that can be used at a time concerned;   a sending unit that sends, to said another communication apparatus, of any content data specified in the content candidate information;   a controlling unit for controlling the sending performed by the sending unit based on die content candidate information and the remaining communication band information;   a determining unit that determines whether or not the sending of content data by the sending unit has commenced; and   an updating unit that updates the remaining communication band information if said sending unit has commenced sending data.