Terminal device

Abstract

A terminal device determines whether a clock is a secure clock or a self-running clock. If the clock is the self-running clock, the device stores a clocking time of the clock as a timestamp file in a memory card in recording content. In playing back the content, the device determines validity of a clocking time using the timestamp file to play back the content and also updates the stored time of the stored time as the timestamp file to a content playback start time. In contrast, if the clock is the secure clock, the device stores the timestamp file indicating a recording time of the content in the memory card only in recording the content and omits updating the stored time as the timestamp file in playing back the content.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of a terminal device regarding a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary view showing a recording format of a memory card mounted and used on and by the terminal device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary flowchart for explaining update processing of a timestamp file in recording content by the terminal device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary flowchart for explaining a process procedure and a process content in playing back the content by the terminal device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary flowchart showing a process procedure and a process content in playing back content by a terminal device regarding a second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is an exemplary flowchart showing a process procedure and a process content in playing back content by a terminal device regarding a third embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A terminal device having a function of recording content on a recording medium and reading out the content from the recording medium to play back the content, comprising: a secure clock to perform a clocking operation in synchronization with standard time date acquired from outside; andmeans for creating a timestamp file indicating a recording time of content on the basis of the clocking time of the secure clock to store the contrast in the recording medium when recording the content on the recording medium.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising: playback control means which controls playback processing of the content so as to compare the clocking time of the secure clock with the recording time of the timestamp file, allows playing back the content when the clocking time of the secure clock is later than the recording time of the timestamp file, and prohibits the playback of the content when the clocking time of the secure clock is earlier than the recording time of the timestamp file, in preference to the playback of the content.

3. The terminal device according to claim 2, further comprising: means for storing flag information indicating the fact of prohibition in association with the content when the playback control means has performed processing to prohibit the playback of the content; andmeans for determining whether or not the flag information has been stored in association with the content to prohibit the playback of the content when the flag information has been stored, in preference to the playback of the content.

4. The terminal device having a function of recording content on a recording medium and also reading out the content from the recording medium to play back the content, comprising: a clock to perform a clocking operation;means for determining whether the clock is a secure clock to perform a clocking operation in synchronization with standard time data acquired from outside or a self-running clock to autonomously perform the clocking operation;means for creating a timestamp file indicating recording time of the content on the basis of the clocking time of the clock in recording the content to store it on the recording medium and also for updating the recording time to either of a playback start time of the content or a playback completion time of the content on the basis of the clocking time of the clock in playing back the content when the clock is determined as the self-running clock; andmeans for creating the timestamp file indicating the recording time of the content on the basis of the clocking time of the clock in recording the content to store it on the recording medium and also for not updating the recording time of the timestamp file in playing back the content when the clock is determined as the secure clock.

5. The terminal device according to claim 4, further comprising: playback control means which controls playback processing of the content so as to compare the clocking time of the secure clock with the recording time of the timestamp file, allow playing back the content when the clocking time of the secure clock is later than the recording time of the timestamp file, and prohibit the playback of the content when the clocking time of the secure clock is earlier that the recording time of the timestamp file, in preference to the playback of the content.

6. The terminal device according to claim 5, further comprising: means for storing flag information indicating the fact of prohibition in association with the content when the playback control means has performed processing to prohibit the playback of the content; andmeans for determining whether or not the flag information has been stored in association with the content to prohibit the playback of the content when the flag information has been stored, in preference to the playback of the content.

7. A terminal device having a function of recording content on a recording medium and reading out the content from the recording medium to play back the content, comprising: a secure clock to perform a clocking operation in synchronization with standard time date acquired from outside;means for determining whether or not a clocking correction operation of the secure clock based on the standard time data has been performed within a past certain time period;means for creating a timestamp file indicating a recording time of the content on the basis of a clocking time of the secure clock to store it in the recording medium in recording the content and also for updating the recording time of the timestamp file to a playback start time of the content or a playback completion time of the content on the basis of the clocking time of the secure clock in playing back the content when it is determined that the time correction operation has not been performed within a past certain time period; andmeans for creating the timestamp file indicating the recording time of the content on the basis of the clocking time of the secure clock to store it in the recording medium in recording the content and also for not updating the recording time of the timestamp file in playing back the content when it is determined that the time correction operation has been performed within the past certain time period.

8. The terminal means according to claim 7, further comprising: playback control means which controls playback processing of the content so as to compare the clocking time of the secure clock with the recording time of the timestamp file, allow playing back the content when the clocking time of the secure clock is later than the recording time of the timestamp file, and prohibit the playback of the content when the clocking time of the secure clock is earlier than the recording time of the timestamp file, in preference to the playback of the content.

9. The terminal device according to claim 8, further comprising: means for storing flag information indicating the fact of prohibition in association with the content when the playback control means has performed processing to prohibit the playback of the content; andmeans for determining whether or not the flag information has been stored in association with the content to prohibit the playback of the content when the flag information has been stored, in preference to the playback of the content.