Network system, controller, recording device, service server, method of acquiring resource status of recording device, and computer program

Abstract

A network system including: a terminal unit; one or more recording devices; a service server; and a controller is disclosed. The controller includes: a resource status acquiring unit that, upon receiving a resource status acquisition request to request acquisition of information on resource status of the one or more recording devices, the resource status acquisition request being transmitted from the service server that received the remote recording reservation request from the terminal unit, transmits a resource status acquisition instruction to the one or more recording devices via the local area network and receives a result of determination on remote recording reservation depending on the resource status, as the resource status information, from the one or more recording devices.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A controller configured to connect to one or more recording devices via a network, the controller comprising:
 a first processor configured to operate as a resource status acquiring unit that, upon receiving a resource status acquisition request to request acquisition of resource status information of the one or more recording devices, the resource status acquisition request being transmitted in response to receiving the remote recording reservation request from a terminal unit, is configured to transmit a resource status acquisition instruction to the one or more recording devices via network and to receive a result of a determination on the remote recording reservation depending on a resource status of the one or more recording devices, as the resource status information, from the one or more recording devices, and the terminal unit is configured to receive from a user a selection of a recording device most appropriate as a remote recording reservation site.   
     
     
         3 . The controller according to  claim 2 , wherein the resource status acquiring unit is configured to transmit the resource status information which is received from the one or more recording devices. 
     
     
         4 . The controller according to  claim 2 , further comprising a resource status analyzing unit configured to analyze the resource status information of the one or more recording devices, which is acquired by the resource status acquiring unit, to determine the recording device most appropriate as a remote recording reservation site. 
     
     
         5 . The controller according to  claim 4 , further comprising a remote recording reservation processing unit configured to transmit a remote recording reservation instruction to the recording device, which is determined by the resource status analyzing unit, via the network. 
     
     
         6 . The controller according to  claim 2 , wherein the terminal unit displays a list of each of available resource and a status for each available resource, and the terminal unit receives the selection of one of the available resources from the list. 
     
     
         7 . A recording device comprising:
 a second processor configured to operate as a resource status providing unit and configured to connect via a network to a controller in which the controller comprises:   a first processor configured to operate as a resource status acquiring unit that, upon receiving a resource status acquisition request to request acquisition of resource status information of one or more recording devices, the resource status acquisition request being transmitted in response to receiving a remote recording reservation request from a terminal unit, is configured to transmit a resource status acquisition instruction to the one or more recording devices via the network and to receive a result of a determination on the remote recording reservation depending on a resource status of the one or more recording devices, as a resource status information, from the one or more recording devices, wherein the terminal unit is configured to receive from a user a selection of a recording device most appropriate as a remote recording reservation site, and to make the determination on the remote recording reservation depending on the resource status of the one or more recording devices based on the resource status acquisition instruction transmitted from the controller via the network, and to transmit the result of the determination, as the resource status information, to the controller via the network.   
     
     
         8 . The recording device according to  claim 7 , wherein the resource status acquisition instruction includes information specifying contents, which are an object of the remote recording reservation, and recording mode information, and
 the resource status providing unit is configured to calculate a capacity required for recording of the contents based on the information specifying the contents and the recording mode information, to make the determination on the remote recording reservation based on a required capacity and an empty capacity of a recording medium for contents recording, and to transmit a result of the determination, as the resource status information, to the controller via the network.   
     
     
         9 . The recording device according to  claim 7 , wherein the resource status providing unit is configured to make the determination on an empty situation of a tuner, which is a resource of broadcasting reception, based on the information specifying contents and a recording reservation list in which information on a registered recording reservation is registered, and to transmit a result of the determination, as the resource status information, to the controller via the network. 
     
     
         10 . The recording device according to  claim 7 , wherein the resource status providing unit is configured to make the determination on whether contents of the remote recording reservation have been already registered, based on the information specifying contents and a recording reservation list in which information on registered recording reservation is registered, and when the contents of the recording reservation were registered, to transmit the resource status information, which includes a designation that the contents of the recording reservation were registered, to the controller via the network. 
     
     
         11 . A server configured to connect to the network along with the terminal unit and the controller according to  claim 2 , and to provide the terminal unit with a service to make the remote recording reservation for the one or more recording devices via the network, the server comprising:
 a third processor configured to operate as a remote recording reservation processing unit that, upon receiving the remote recording reservation request for the one or more recording devices from the terminal unit, is configured to transmit the resource status acquisition request to request acquisition of the resource status information of the one or more recording devices to the controller, and to receive the result of the determination on the remote recording reservation depending on the resource status of the one or more recording devices, as the resource status information, in the one or more recording devices from the controller.   
     
     
         12 . The server according to  claim 11 , wherein
 the remote recording reservation request transmitted from the terminal unit includes operation mode information, and   the remote recording reservation processing unit makes a determination on whether the resource status information of the one or more recording devices, which is received from the controller, is transmitted to the terminal unit, based on the operation mode information.   
     
     
         13 . The server according to  claim 12 , further comprising a resource status analyzing unit configured to analyze the resource status information to determine the recording device most appropriate as a remote recording reservation site when the remote recording reservation processing unit determines that the resource status information of the one or more recording devices is not transmitted to the terminal unit of a remote recording reservation source.