Data structure for an entertainment and communications network

• US 20020188762A1
• Filed: 05/04/2001
• Published: 12/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: M & S Systems LP (Melrose Industries Plc)
• Original Assignee: M & S Systems LP (Melrose Industries Plc)
• Inventors: Tomassetti, Stephen Robert, Snedigar, Donald C., Wojciechowski, Thomas Gerald
• Application Number:
  US09/849,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20020188762A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/251
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 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 Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams

Abstract

A data structure for a multi-zone peer-to-peer entertainment and communications network. The network serially distributes data that is being streamed from multiple entertainment media sources simultaneously to multiple independent receivers and/or transceivers. The receivers and transceivers may be located in different zones. The zones may be different rooms of a building or house. Each data packet to each node is structured according to the data structure of the present invention. So, each packet includes a preamble that provides a precisely timed synchronization symbol. The preamble synchronizes the remote nodes to a hub and synchronizes each remote node'"'"'s internal processes. A control bus status bit follows the preamble and indicates hub control bus status. Each packet includes a hub control field and a control data field carry control information. Audio data fields included in each packet carry audio data for an intercom channel and one or more stereo audio channels.

Claims

1. A data structure for transferring data between a hub and a connected remote node, said data structure comprising:

a preamble for synchronizing the remote node to the hub;

a control bus status field for indicating status to the remote node of a control bus at said hub;

a hub control field for exchanging message control information between the remote node and the hub;

a control data field for exchanging control data information between the remote node and the hub; and

a plurality of data fields for transferring data between the remote node and the hub synchronized with other nodes by a frame clock.

2. A data structure as in claim 1, wherein communication between the connected node and the hub is a serial transmission and the preamble includes a string of alternating ones and zeros.

3. A serial data structure as in claim 2, wherein the string of alternating ones and zeros is of sufficient length to extract a data transmission clock.

4. A serial data structure as in claim 3, wherein the string of alternating ones and zeros is of a sufficient length to synchronize a phase locked loop.

5. A serial data structure as in claim 4, wherein the preamble provides information for extracting the frame clock.

6. A serial data structure as in claim 5, wherein the preamble is three bytes wide.

7. A data structure as in claim 1, wherein the hub control field is a single byte wide, each remote node corresponding with the corresponding connected hub port through the hub control field.

8. A data structure as in claim 7, wherein each hub message between any said hub port and a corresponding said connected remote node is four bytes long.

9. A data structure as in claim 8, wherein each hub message includes an attention field, a command field, a channel field and a value field.

10. A data structure as in claim 9, wherein when the attention field is all ones, an indication is being provided that a hub message is beginning to be sent.

11. A data structure as in claim 9, wherein the channel field includes a channel number and an indication of whether a channel identified by said channel number is a listening channel or a source channel.

12. A data structure as in claim 9, wherein the command field includes a command selected from the group of commands including a do nothing command, a set channel value command, a get channel value command, an acknowledge message and an error indication.

13. A data structure as in claim 1, wherein the control data field is a single byte wide and each communications packet between the hub and a connected remote node includes a portion of a control message for control messaging between peers in said peer-to-peer network.

14. A control data structure as in claim 1, wherein the plurality of data fields includes an intercom data field and a plurality of left and right audio fields.

15. A data structure as in claim 14, wherein the intercom field is twelve bits long.

16. A data structure as in claim 15, wherein each of the left and right audio fields is eighteen bits long.

17. A data structure as in claim 16, wherein the data structure includes four left and right audio channels corresponding to four stereo audio channels.