Communication architecture utilizing emulator interface

• US 20030220781A1
• Filed: 12/05/2002
• Published: 11/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Zoran Corporation (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Oak Technology Partners (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Salmonsen, Daniel R., Cerchio, Gerard J.
• Application Number:
  US10/313,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20030220781A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/283 Processing of data at an internetworking point of a home automation network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• 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 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A communication system comprises a source media device, a sink media device communicatively coupled with the source media device over an out-of-band transfer protocol, a control point communicatively coupled to the source media device and the sink media device using communication control actions, and an emulator. The emulator can be contained in one or more of the source media device, the sink media device, and the control point. The emulator comprises a communication controller capable of coupling to an out-of-band communication link and an emulation controller capable of converting information between an out-of-band communication link format and a standard device internal format.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a source media device;

a sink media device communicatively coupled with the source media device over an out-of-band transfer protocol;

a control point communicatively coupled to the source media device and the sink media device using communication control actions; and

an emulator in one or more of the source media device, the sink media device, and the control point, the emulator comprising a communication controller capable of coupling to an out-of-band communication link and an emulation controller capable of converting information between an out-of-band communication link format and a standard device internal format.

2. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein:

the communication controller couples a network to an internal pathway that communicates data and control signals between a host processor and one or more devices coupled to the internal pathway, the communication controller interface further comprising a network controller capable of coupling to an external network; and

the emulator emulates data and control signals of the host processor and at least one of the devices.

3. A communication system according to claim 2 wherein:

the emulator is capable of executing multiple functions including control, data transfer, emulation, transcoding, data storage, interfacing, and test operations.

4. A computer system according to claim 2 wherein:

the emulator emulates data and control signals of the host processor and a device, and the emulator selects and seamlessly combines communication of host processor and device data and control signals and emulated data and control signals.

5. A computer system according to claim 1 wherein:

the emulator is capable of analyzing data and signals to determine format of a presented information and whether the presented information format is a format supported by a device and, if not, reformatting the presented information to the supported format.

6. A computer system according to claim 1 wherein:

the emulator is capable of analyzing data and control signals for commands and responses to determine a format supported by a device, determining whether information received from an external source does not comply with the supported format, and, if not, converting the information received from the external source to the supported format.

7. A computer system according to claim 1 wherein:

the emulator is capable of receiving signals from an external source and converting the signals so that a device functions as if receiving signals from a standard information source device, seamlessly supplying content to the device from multiple diverse-format sources.

8. A computer system according to claim 1 wherein:

the source media device and sink media device are one or more devices and systems selected from among computers, work-stations, laptop computers, calculators, palm computers, mobile telephones, televisions, electronic picture frames, video cassette recorders, compact disk (CD) or digital versatile disk (DVD) players and recorders, DVD drives, CD-ROM drives (R/RW), jukeboxes, karaoke devices, camcorders, set-top boxes, audio systems, MP3 players, still-image cameras, remote control devices, control panels, MPEG decoders, televisions with embedded MPEG decoders, personal video recorders (PVRs), and other control devices and information storage, retrieval, and display devices;

supported information formats are one or more formats selected from among Motion Pictures Expert Group (MPEG2, MPEG4), picture standards including Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), audio standards including MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3 (MP3), and Windows Media Architecture (WMA), bitmaps (BMP), National Television Standards Committee (NTSC), Phase Alteration Line (PAL), Sequential Couleur avec Memoire (SECAM), Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), video compact disk (VCD) and S-VCD standards, Power Point (PPT), karaoke functions, features such as MP3 or progressive scan display; and

supported communication link protocols are selected from among broadband, IEEE-1394 high-speed serial bus, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC-61883) Standard that describes;

Isochronous Plug Control Registers, Connection Management Protocol (CMP), Function Control Protocol (FCP), Common Isochronous Packet (CIP) headers, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP GET/PUT/POST), Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP), and Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

9. A communication system comprising:

a computer;

an optical media player communicatively coupled with the computer over an out-of-band transfer protocol;

an optical media menu interface communicatively coupled to the computer and the optical media player using communication control actions; and

an emulator in one or more of the computer, the optical media player, and the optical media menu interface, the emulator comprising a communication controller capable of coupling to an out-of-band communication link and an emulation controller capable of converting information between an out-of-band communication link format and a standard device internal format.

10. A communication system according to claim 9 further comprising:

an optical drive subsystem that reads information from an optical media and supplies the information in a native format;

a media decoder coupled to the optical drive subsystem that receives the information in the native format and decodes the native format information for presentation; and

the emulator has an external interface capable of communicating information to an external device, the emulator that converts information received from the external device to the native format and supplies the converted information to the media decoder for presentation.

11. A communication system according to claim 9 wherein the emulator can emulate a device at one or more levels of a logical level and a physical level.

12. A communication system according to claim 9 wherein the out-of-band communication link is selected from among:

Ethernet media access control (MAC) links, serial links, parallel links, memory controller links, direct memory access (DMA) links, parallel I/O (PIO) links, register interfaces, shared RAM interfaces, radio frequency links, universal serial bus (USB) links.

13. A communication system according to claim 9 wherein:

supported information formats are one or more formats selected from among Motion Pictures Expert Group (MPEG2, MPEG4), picture standards including Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), audio standards including MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3 (MP3), and Windows Media Architecture (WMA), bitmaps (BMP), National Television Standards Committee (NTSC), Phase Alteration Line (PAL), Sequential Couleur avec Memoire (SECAM), Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), video compact disk (VCD) and S-VCD standards, Power Point (PPT), karaoke functions, features such as MP3 or progressive scan display; and

the communication protocols are selected from among broadband, IEEE-1394 high-speed serial bus, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC-61883) Standard that describes;

Isochronous Plug Control Registers, Connection Management Protocol (CMP), Function Control Protocol (FCP), Common Isochronous Packet (CIP) headers, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP GET/PUT/POST), Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP), and Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

14. A communication media device comprising:

an internal media content source;

an internal interface coupled to the internal media content source and capable of carrying media content in a native format;

a media renderer coupled to the internal interface and capable of rendering the native format information from the internal interface;

an emulator coupled to the internal interface;

a communication controller coupled to the emulator and capable of coupling to an out-of-band communication link; and

a storage coupled to the emulator holding an executable code capable of converting information from the out-of-band communication link to the native format and conveying the converted information to the media renderer.

15. A media device according to claim 14 further comprising:

an executable code contained in the storage and executable on the emulator that receives source information in the native format from the internal media content source and out-of-band information in a format different from the native format, and seamlessly alternatively supplying the internal media content source information and the out-of-band information in the native format to the media renderer.

16. A media device according to claim 14 further comprising:

an executable code contained in the storage and executable on the emulator that analyzes signals to determine format of a presented information and whether the presented information format is a format supported by the media renderer and, if not, reformatting the presented information to the supported format.

17. A media device according to claim 14 further comprising:

an executable code contained in the storage and executable on the emulator that analyzes signals on the internal interface for commands and responses to determine a format supported by the media renderer, analyze signals to determine if information received from an external source does not comply with the supported format, and, if not, converts the information received from the external source to the supported format.

18. A communication media device comprising:

a optical drive subsystem;

an internal interface coupled to the optical drive subsystem and capable of carrying media content in a native optical format;

a decoder coupled to the internal interface and capable of rendering the native optical media format information from the internal interface;

an emulator coupled to the internal interface;

a communication controller coupled to the emulator and capable of coupling to an external communication link; and

a storage coupled to the emulator holding an executable code capable of converting information from the external communication link to the native format and conveying the converted information to the decoder.

19. A media device according to claim 18 further comprising:

an executable code contained in the storage and executable on the emulator that receives source information in the native format from the optical drive subsystem and information from the external communication link in a format different from the native format, and seamlessly alternatively supplying the optical drive subsystem information and the external communication link information in the native format to the decoder.

20. A media device according to claim 18 further comprising:

an executable code contained in the storage and executable on the emulator that analyzes signals to determine format of a presented information and whether the presented information format is a format supported by the media decoder and, if not, reformatting the presented information to the supported format.

21. A communication media device comprising:

an internal media content source;

an internal interface coupled to the internal media content source and capable of carrying media content in a native format;

a media renderer coupled to the internal interface and capable of rendering the native format information from the internal interface;

an emulator coupled to the internal interface; and

a communication controller coupled to the emulator and capable of coupling to an out-of-band communication link, the emulator being capable of receiving media content from the out-of-band communication link and emulating the internal media content source so that the media renderer renders the out-of-band media content in the manner of internal media content.

22. A media device according to claim 21 wherein:

the emulator receives source information in the native format from the internal media content source and in a format different from the native format from the out-of-band communication link, and seamlessly alternatively supplying the originally native and non-native information to the media renderer in the native format.

23. A media device according to claim 21 wherein:

the emulator analyzes signals on the internal interface to determine format of a presented information and whether the presented information format is a format supported by the media renderer and, if not, reformatting the presented information to the supported format.

24. A media device according to claim 21 wherein:

the emulator analyzes signals on the internal interface for commands and responses to determine a format supported by the media renderer, analyzes signals to determine whether information received from an external source does not comply with the supported format, and, if not, converts the information received from the external source to the supported format.

25. A communication system capable of rendering media content from a media source, the communication system comprising:

a media renderer that renders media content in a native format, the media renderer being capable of communicating with the media source via an out-of-band transfer protocol;

an emulator coupled to the media renderer, the emulator being capable of receiving media content in a non-native format and emulating a native device to supply media content to the media renderer in the native format; and

a control point that communicates with the media source and the media renderer using communication control actions that select, enable, initiate, and manage emulated interactions.

26. A communication system according to claim 25 further comprising:

a processor; and

a server executable on the processor and capable of displaying a menu of media content selections, enabling selection of media content from the menu, and determining processing to be performed on the selected media content, the server being capable of executing at least a portion of the control point functionality.

27. A communication system according to claim 25 further comprising:

a processor; and

a server executable on the processor and capable of virtualizing media content into a volume of data that is navigable by the communication system.

28. A communication system according to claim 25 further comprising:

a processor; and

a server executable on the processor and comprising;

an emulator server that conducts a media content stream from the media source to the emulator;

a media controller that initializes the media source to supply media content, sets transfer parameters, and commences media content delivery; and

a media directory that contains a list of all available media content and at least a portion of the media content that can be accessed by the server.

29. A communication system according to claim 25 further comprising:

a processor; and

a server executable on the processor and comprising;

an emulator server that conducts a media content stream from the media source to the emulator and receives control information from the emulator to permit discovery of available media content;

a media directory that stores Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) that identify content resources including WWW addresses, Universal Document Identifiers, Universal Resource Identifiers, and combinations of Uniform Resource Locators (URL) and Names (URN); and

a media controller that examines the media directory, specifies menuing, initializes the media source to supply media content, sets transfer parameters, and commences media content delivery.

30. A communication system according to claim 25 further comprising:

a processor; and

a server executable on the processor and comprising;

an emulator server that conducts a media content stream from the media source to the emulator;

a media controller that initializes the media source to supply media content, sets transfer parameters, and commences media content delivery; and

a media directory that contains a list of all available media content and at least a portion of the media content that can be accessed by the server;

a media server that receives control signals from the media controller and responds by supplying media content for rendering; and

a media rendering process that receives control signals from the media controller and manipulates the media content to produce media content in an emulated standard format.

31. A communication system according to claim 25 further comprising:

a processor; and

a server executable on the processor and comprising;

a media rendering process that receives control signals from the media controller and manipulates the media content to produce media content in an emulated standard format;

an emulator server that conducts a media content stream from the media source through the media rendering process to the emulator and receives control information from the emulator to permit discovery of available media content;

a media directory that stores Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) that identify content resources including WWW addresses, Universal Document Identifiers, Universal Resource Identifiers, and combinations of Uniform Resource Locators (URL) and Names (URN); and

a media controller that examines the media directory, specifies menuing, initializes the media source to supply media content, sets transfer parameters, and commences media content delivery.

32. A communication system according to claim 25 further comprising:

an emulator-enabled media player that receives media content from the server and renders the content for performance.

33. A communication system according to claim 25 further comprising:

an emulator-enabled media player further comprising;

the emulator;

a media drive; and

a content sink device that selectively renders native format media content from the media drive or the emulator, the media content from the emulator being either passed-through native format media content or non-native format media content converted into the native format.

34. A communication system capable of rendering media content from a media source, the communication system comprising:

a media renderer that communicates with the media source via an out-of-band transfer protocol;

a control point that communicates with the media source and the media renderer using communication control actions;

a server that comprises the control point; and

and emulator-enabled media player that comprises at least a portion of the media renderer, the emulator-enabled media player comprising a media decoder that decodes media content in a native format and an emulator that can receive media content in a non-native format and emulate a native device to supply media content to the media renderer in the native format.

35. A communication system according to claim 34 further comprising:

a media drive in the emulator-enabled media player that can supply media content to the media decoder in the native format.

36. A communication system according to claim 34 wherein the server further comprises:

an emulator server that conducts a media content stream from the media source to the emulator and receives control information from the emulator to permit discovery of available media content;

a media directory that stores Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) that identify content resources including WWW addresses, Universal Document Identifiers, Universal Resource Identifiers, and combinations of Uniform Resource Locators (URL) and Names (URN); and

a media controller that examines the media directory, specifies menuing, initializes the media source to supply media content, sets transfer parameters, and commences media content delivery.

37. A communication system according to claim 34 wherein the server further comprises:

an emulator server that conducts a media content stream from the media source to the emulator;

a media controller that initializes the media source to supply media content, sets transfer parameters, and commences media content delivery; and

a media directory that contains a list of all available media content and at least a portion of the media content that can be accessed by the server;

a media server that receives control signals from the media controller and responds by supplying media content for rendering; and

a media rendering process that receives control signals from the media controller and manipulates the media content to produce media content in an emulated standard format.

38. A communication system according to claim 34 wherein the server further comprises:

a media rendering process that receives control signals from the media controller and manipulates the media content to produce media content in an emulated standard format;

an emulator server that conducts a media content stream from the media source through the media rendering process to the emulator and receives control information from the emulator to permit discovery of available media content;

a media directory that stores Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) that identify content resources including WWW addresses, Universal Document Identifiers, Universal Resource Identifiers, and combinations of Uniform Resource Locators (URL) and Names (URN); and

a media controller that examines the media directory, specifies menuing, initializes the media source to supply media content, sets transfer parameters, and commences media content delivery.

39. A communication system capable of rendering media content from a media source, the communication system comprising:

means for communicating with the media source via an out-of-band transfer protocol;

means for communicating with the media source and the media renderer using communication control actions;

means for decoding media content in a native format;

means for receiving media content in a non-native format; and

means for emulating a native device to supply media content to the media renderer in the native format.

40. A communication system according to claim 39 further comprising:

means for conducting a media content stream from the media source to the emulator and receiving control information from the emulator to permit discovery of available media content;

means for storing Uniform Resource Identifiers (URls) that identify content resources including WWW addresses, Universal Document Identifiers, Universal Resource Identifiers, and combinations of Uniform Resource Locators (URL) and Names (URN);

means for examining the media directory, specifies menuing;

means for initializing the media source to supply media content;

means for setting transfer parameters;

means for commencing media content delivery.