Wireless data-transferring apparatus

• US 20030145334A1
• Filed: 01/22/2003
• Published: 07/31/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Client Solutions CO., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Motoe, Hironori, Sato, Shigenobu, Oka, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,565,674 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/123
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4113 PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• 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 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A wireless data-transferring apparatus performs wireless communication with an information-processing terminal. The data-transferring apparatus includes a unit for receiving broadcast program data, a unit for compression-encoding the broadcast program data received by the receiving unit, and a communications control device. The communications control device is configured to perform data-transfer between an external network and the information-processing terminal, in accordance with requests transmitted by radio signal from the information-processing terminal, and to transmit, by radio signal, data received from the external network and the compression-encoded broadcast program data to the information-processing terminal in a time-divided fashion when the communications control device receives the compression-encoded broadcast program data provided in the apparatus.

Claims

1. A wireless data-transferring apparatus for performing wireless communication with an information-processing terminal, comprising:

means for receiving broadcast program data; and

a communications control device configured to perform data-transfer between an external network and the information-processing terminal, in accordance with requests transmitted by radio signal from the information-processing terminal, and to transmit, by radio signal, data received from the external network and the broadcast program data to the information-processing terminal in a time-divided fashion when the communications control device receives the broadcast program data provided in the apparatus.

2. A wireless data-transferring apparatus for performing wireless communication with an information-processing terminal, comprising:

means for receiving broadcast program data;

means for compression-encoding the broadcast program data received by the receiving means; and

a communications control device configured to perform data-transfer between an external network and the information-processing terminal, in accordance with requests transmitted by radio signal from the information-processing terminal, and to transmit, by radio signal, data received from the external network and the compression-encoded broadcast program data to the information-processing terminal in a time-divided fashion when the communications control device receives the compression-encoded broadcast program data provided in the apparatus.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the communications control device includes means for transmitting the compression-encoded broadcast program data prior to the data received from the external network, so as to transmit the broadcast program data in real time.

4. An apparatus according to claim 2, further including:

a disk storage device which stores the broadcast program data that has been compression-encoded; and

data-transferring means for transferring the compression-encoded broadcast program data stored in the disk storage device to the communications control device.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, further including:

means for decoding the compression-encoded broadcast program data stored in the disk storage device; and

means for outputting the broadcast program data decoded by the decoding means to an external TV receiver.

6. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the data-transferring means includes:

down-conversion means for down-converting the compression-encoded broadcast program data stored in the storage device, lowering a transfer rate of the compression-encoded broadcast program data to a prescribed transfer rate; and

means for transferring the compression-encoded broadcast program data that has been down-converted, to the communications control device.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, further, including means for decoding the compression-encoded broadcast program data stored in the storage device, wherein the down-conversion means includes means for causing the compression-encoding means to compress-encode the broadcast program data again after the decoding means has decoded the compression-encoded broadcast program data stored in the storage device, to down-convert the compression-encoded broadcast program data stored in the storage device to the prescribed transfer rate.

8. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the communications control device includes:

a wireless communications device which transmits data to and receives data from the information-processing apparatus through a wireless network;

a network control device which transmits data to and receives data from the external network; and

a processor which controls the wireless communications device and the network control device, to control data transfer between the external network and the information-processing terminal and transmission of the compression-encoded broadcast program data to the information-processing terminal.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, further including a CPU that controls the receiving means and the compression-encoding means, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with the CPU via a bus, to receive a command for requesting the broadcast program data from the information-processing terminal via the wireless communication device and to send the command to the CPU via the bus, and to receive via the bus the broadcast program data to be transmitted to the information-processing terminal.

10. A wireless data-transferring apparatus configured to be connected by radio to an information-processing terminal, comprising:

a receiving unit which receives broadcast program data demanded by a command transmitted via a wireless network from the information-processing terminal;

a CPU which controls the receiving unit; and

a communications control device which connects the information-processing terminal to an external network in response to an access command received from the information-processing terminal via the wireless network, and which includes;

a wireless communications device configured to transmit data to and receive data from the information-processing apparatus via the wireless network;

a network control device configured to transmit data to and receive data from the external network; and

a processor connected to the CPU by a bus and configured to receive a command for requesting the broadcast program data, which the wireless communications device has received from the information-processing terminal, to supply the command to the CPU via the bus, and to control the wireless communications device to transmit data received from the external network and the broadcast program data received via the bus, to

the information-processing terminal in a time-divided fashion through the wireless network.

11. A wireless data-transferring apparatus configured to be connected by radio to an information-processing terminal, comprising:

a receiving unit which receives broadcast program data demanded by a command transmitted via a wireless network from the information-processing terminal;

an encoder which compress-encodes the broadcast program data received by the receiving unit;

a CPU which controls the receiving unit and the encoder; and

a communications control device which connects the information-processing terminal to an external network in response to an access command received from the information-processing apparatus via the wireless network, and which includes;

a wireless communications device configured to transmit data to and receive data from the information-processing apparatus via the wireless network;

a network control device configured to transmit data to and receive data from the external network; and

a processor connected to the CPU by a bus and configured to receive a command for requesting the broadcast program data, which the wireless communications device has received from the information-processing terminal, to supply the command to the CPU via the bus, and to control the wireless communications device to transmit data received from the external network and the broadcast program data compression-encoded by the encoder and received via the bus, to the information-processing terminal in a time-divided fashion through the wireless network.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processor controls the wireless communications device to transmit the broadcast program data that has been compression-encoded, prior to the data received from the external network, in order to transmit the broadcast program data to the information-processing terminal in real time.

13. A wireless data-transferring apparatus for performing wireless communication with an information-processing terminal, comprising:

a receiving unit to receive broadcast program data; and

a communications control device configured to perform data-transfer between an external network and the information-processing terminal, in accordance with requests transmitted by radio signal from the information-processing terminal, and to transmit, by radio signal, data received from the external network and the broadcast program data to the information-processing terminal in a time-divided fashion when the communications control device receives the broadcast program data provided in the apparatus.

14. A wireless data-transferring apparatus for performing wireless communication with an information-processing terminal, comprising:

a receiving unit to receive broadcast program data;

an encoder to compress-encode the broadcast program data received by the receiving unit; and

a communications control device configured to perform data-transfer between an external network and the information-processing terminal, in accordance with requests transmitted by radio signal from the information-processing terminal, and to transmit, by radio signal, data received from the external network and the compression-encoded broadcast program data to the information-processing terminal in a time-divided fashion when the communications control device receives the compression-encoded broadcast program data provided in the apparatus.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the communications control device includes a transmitter to transmit the compression-encoded broadcast program data prior to the data received from the external network, so as to transmit the broadcast program data in real time.

16. An apparatus according to claim 14, further including:

a disk storage device which stores the broadcast program data that has been compression-encoded; and

a data-transferring unit to transfer the compression-encoded broadcast program data stored in the disk storage device to the communications control device.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, further including:

a decoder to decode the compression-encoded broadcast program data stored in the disk storage device; and

an output unit to output the broadcast program data decoded by the decoder to an external TV receiver.

18. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the data-transferring unit includes:

a down-conversion unit to down-convert the compression-encoded broadcast program data stored in the storage device, lowering a transfer rate of the compression-encoded broadcast program data to a prescribed transfer rate; and

a transferring unit to transfer the compression-encoded broadcast program data that has been down-converted, to the communications control device.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18, further including a decoder to decode the compression-encoded broadcast program data stored in the storage device, wherein the down-conversion unit causes the encoder to compress-encode the broadcast program data again after the decoder has decoded the compression-encoded broadcast program data stored in the storage device, in order to down-convert the compression-encoded broadcast program data stored in the storage device to the prescribed transfer rate.

20. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the communications control device includes:

a wireless communications device which transmits data to and receives data from the information-processing apparatus through a wireless network;

a network control device which transmits data to and receives data from the external network; and

a processor which controls the wireless communications device and the network control device, to control data transfer between the external network and the information-processing terminal and transmission of the compression-encoded broadcast program data to the information-processing terminal.

21. An apparatus according to claim 20, further including a CPU that controls the receiving unit and the encoder, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with the CPU via a bus, to receive a command for requesting the broadcast program data from the information-processing terminal via the wireless communication device and to send the command to the CPU via the bus, and to receive via the bus the broadcast program data to be transmitted to the information-processing terminal.

22. A wireless data-transferring apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving broadcast program data;

means for receiving data from an external network; and

means for wirelessly outputting simultaneously the broadcast program data and the data from the external network in a time-divided fashion by radio.

23. A wireless data-transferring apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving broadcast program data;

means for receiving data from an external network;

means for compression-encoding the broadcast program data received by the receiving means; and

means for wirelessly outputting simultaneously the broadcast program data compression-encoded by the compression-encoding means and the data from the external network in a time-divided fashion by radio.

24. A wireless data-transferring apparatus, comprising:

a system bus;

means for receiving broadcast program data connected to the system bus;

means for receiving data from an external network connected to the system bus; and

wireless communication means for receiving the broadcast program data from the means for receiving broadcast program data via the system bus, and for receiving the data from the external network from the means for receiving data from the external network without passing through the system bus.

25. A wireless data-transferring apparatus, comprising:

a first receiver to receive broadcast program data;

a second receiver to receive data from an external network; and

a wireless transmitter to transmit simultaneously the broadcast program data and the data from the external network in a time-divided fashion by radio.

26. A wireless data-transferring apparatus, comprising:

a first receiver to receive broadcast program data;

a second receiver to receive data from an external network;

an encoder to compress-encode the broadcast program data received by the first receiver; and

a wireless transmitter to transmit simultaneously the broadcast program data compression-encoded by the encoder and the data from the external network in a time-divided fashion by radio.

27. A wireless data-transferring apparatus, comprising:

a system bus;

a first receiver, to receive broadcast program data, connected to the system bus;

a second receiver, to receive data from an external network, connected to the system bus;

a wireless communication module to receive the broadcast program data from the first receiver via the system bus, and to receive the data from the external network from the second receiver without passing through the system bus.