Audio-video management in UPnP

• US 20030005130A1
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Cheng, Doreen Yining
• Application Number:
  US09/895,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20030005130A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 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 Class Codes: H04L 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation

Abstract

To support the communication of audio-video information, and other time-sensitive information, via UPnP networks, the UPnP architecture is augmented to include: a resource management module that supports multiple contenders for a single device or its sub-units without races or hazards, a path manager that provides source-to-sink path management, and an action manager that enables A/V applications to schedule activities. Together, the resource manager and path manager ensure path validity, integrity, and quality of service. The resource manager is configured to manage device resources that are distributed in heterogeneous networks, such as resources distributed in networks using mixed Ethernet, 1394, 802.11, USB, HPNA. The path manager is configured to manage network resources that are distributed in heterogeneous networks. The resource manager and the path manager are also configured to ensure that a path across network boundaries is valid. Scheduling actions are the responsibility of each action manager, which acts as an agent of the application, and is a client of the resource manager and the path manager. The resource manager and the path manager are configured as an integral part of a UPnP framework, and as such, communicates with applications via HTTP messages.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating communication of time-sensitive information via a UPnP network, comprising:

a management system that is configured to reserve a plurality of resources to form a plurality of reserved resources along a path between a source of the time-sensitive information and a sink of the time-sensitive information before initiating the communication of the time-sensitive information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein

the path between the source and the sink extends across a plurality of networks, the source being on a first network of the plurality of networks, and the sink being on a second network of the plurality of networks.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein

the management system includes a plurality of resource management modules,

each resource management module being associated with a corresponding network of the plurality of networks, and being configured to reserve one or more device resources of the plurality of reserved resources on the corresponding network,

the resource management module that is associated with the first network is configured to communicate a reservation request to another resource management module to reserve one or more device resources of the plurality of reserved resources on another network of the plurality of networks.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein

each resource management module is configured as an integral part of a UPnP framework, and communicates with applications via HTTP messages.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein

the another resource management module in the another network is configured to reserve the one or more device resources only if a subsequent resource manager, along the path from the first network to the second network, is reachable by the another resource management module.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein

each resource management module is configured to communicate a release message to a prior resource management module along the path when a requested reservation cannot be effected, and

the prior resource management module releases associated device resources of the plurality of reserved resources upon receipt of the release message.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein

the management system further includes a plurality of path management modules,

each path management module being associated with a corresponding network of the plurality of networks, and being configured to reserve one or more network resources on the corresponding network,

the path management module that is associated with the first network is configured to communicate a reservation request to another path management module to reserve one or more network resources on another network of the plurality of networks, and

each resource management module and path management module is configured as an integral part of a UPnP framework, and communicates with applications via HTTP messages.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein

the management system includes a plurality of path management modules,

each path management module being associated with a corresponding network of the plurality of networks, and being configured to reserve one or more network resources on the corresponding network,

the path management module that is associated with the first network is configured to communicate a reservation request to another path management module to reserve one or more network resources on another network of the plurality of networks.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein

at least one of the path management modules is configured to reserve a network resource having a specified quality-of-service.

10. The system of claim 1, further including

a device manager module that is configured to prevent state-changing commands being communicated to a device resource of the plurality of reserved resources, except by a requester that reserved the plurality of reserved resources.

11. The system of claim 1, further including

an action manager module that is configured to communicate a reservation request to the management system, based on a schedule request from an application program, and to communicate a path setup request to the management system at a time corresponding to a scheduled time contained in the schedule request.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein

the path between the source and the sink extends across a plurality of networks, the source being on a first network of the plurality of networks, and the sink being on a second network of the plurality of networks.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein

reserving the plurality of resources includes:

reserving resources of the plurality of resources that are associated with a network along the path,

communicating a reservation request to an other network along the path,

reserving the resources associated with the other network, and

repeating the communicating of the reservation request to each other network along the path and reserving the resources associated with each other network until each resource of the plurality of resources is reserved along the path.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein

the resources are reserved at each other network only if receipt of the reservation request is acknowledged by a subsequent other network along the path.

16. The method of claim 14, further including

communicating a release message to a prior network along the path when a requested reservation cannot be effected, and

releasing associated device resources of the plurality of reserved resources at the prior network upon receipt of the release message.

17. The method of claim 13, further including:

reserving one or more network resources on the first network,

communicating a reservation request to an other network, and

reserving one or more network resources on the other network of the plurality of networks.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein

the reservation request includes a specified quality-of-service.

19. The method of claim 12, further including

preventing state-changing commands being communicated to a device resource of the plurality of reserved resources, except by a requester that reserved the plurality of reserved resources.

20. The method of claim 12, further including:

communicating a reservation request to a management system, based on a schedule request from an application program, and

communicating a path setup request to the management system at a time corresponding to a scheduled time contained in the schedule request.

12. A method for facilitating communication of time-sensitive information via a UPnP network, comprising:

defining a path between a source of the time-sensitive information and a sink of the time-sensitive information,

reserving a plurality of resources to form a plurality of reserved resources along the path.