Data transmission apparatus, data transmission method, and data transmission method program

• US 20040006573A1
• Filed: 07/01/2003
• Published: 01/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takashi, Nomura
• Application Number:
  US10/344,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20040006573A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• 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 61/2517 using port numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2564 for a higher-layer protocol, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/169 Special adaptations of TCP, UDP or IP for interworking of IP based networks with other networks protocols for interworking, protocol conversion H04L69/08

Abstract

The present invention is applied, for example, to a gateway apparatus in a home network. The content of a command transferred according to a control protocol is changed, if necessary, and the command is relayed.

Claims

1. A data transfer apparatus connected between first and second networks, for transferring designated information between the first and second networks, characterized by comprising:

data input-and-output means connected to first and second terminals belonging to the first and second networks, respectively, through the first and second networks;

storage means for storing a parameter used for relay processing of information to be transmitted and received between the first and second terminals; and

data processing means for executing processing related to relaying of data transfer performed according to a transport protocol, the data being transmitted and received between the first and second terminals, and of command transfer performed according to a control protocol for the data transfer performed according to the transport protocol; and

characterized in that,

when the data input-and-output means receives a command sent according to the control protocol, the data processing means changes a parameter related to the transport protocol in the command, sends the command having the changed parameter, sent according to the control protocol, through the data input-and-output means, and stores the changed parameter related to the transport protocol in the storage means, and

when the data input-and-output means receives data sent according to the transport protocol, the data processing means applies relay processing to the data according to the parameter stored in the storage means.

2. A data transfer apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that

the command sent according to the control protocol is

a command which is sent according to the control protocol and which includes information of a port number assigned by the first terminal, used for transferring data according to the transport protocol, and

the data processing means

rewrites at least a port number for the transport protocol, included in the command to a port number which can be used to change the parameter related to the transport protocol in the command,

transmits the command in which the port number has been rewritten to send the command having the changed parameter, sent according to the control protocol, through the data input-and-output means, and

associates the port number assigned by the first terminal with the rewritten port number and stores them to store the changed parameter related to the transport protocol in the storage means.

3. A data transfer apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that

the data processing means

stores address information of the first terminal and address information of the second terminal in the storage means in association with the port number assigned by the first terminal and the rewritten port number.

4. A data transfer apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that

the first terminal has a private address;

the second terminal has a global address; and

the data sent according to the transport protocol is data sent from the second terminal, having the global address, to the first terminal, having the private address.

5. A data transfer apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that

the first terminal has a private address;

the second terminal has a global address; and

the data sent according to the transport protocol is data sent from the first terminal, having the private address, to the second terminal, having the global address.

6. A data transfer apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that

when the data input-and-output means receives a command which is sent from the second terminal to the first terminal according to the control protocol and which includes information of a port number used for transferring data according to the transport protocol, the data processing means

determines whether the port number in the command has been input in the storage means, and

rewrites the port number for the transport protocol in the command to the port number assigned by the first terminal, stored in the storage means, and sends, according to the result of determination.

7. A data transfer apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that

the data processing means

forms a firewall between the first and second networks, and

dynamically switches the condition of filtering performed by the firewall, according to a command sent according to the control protocol.

8. A data transfer apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that

the data processing means associates address information of the first terminal in addition to a port number assigned by the first terminal and a rewritten port number and stores in the storage means, and

the condition of filtering performed by the firewall is address information of the first terminal, stored in the storage means.

9. A data transfer apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that

the transport protocol is an RTP (real-time transport protocol), and

the control protocol is an RTSP (real-time streaming protocol).

10. A data transfer method for transferring designated information between first and second networks, characterized by comprising:

a control-protocol relay step of applying relay processing to a command transmitted and received according to a control protocol between first and second terminals belonging to the first and second networks, respectively, and of setting a parameter used for a transport protocol according to which data is transferred between the first and second terminals, according to a parameter in the command; and

a transport-protocol relay step of applying relay processing to data transfer performed according to the transport protocol between the first and second terminals, according to the parameter specified in the control-protocol relay step, and

characterized in that, in the control-protocol relay step, a parameter related to the transport protocol and disposed in the command sent according to the control protocol is changed, and the changed command sent according to the control protocol is output.

11. A program for a data transfer method for transferring designated information between first and second networks, characterized by comprising:

a control-protocol relay step of applying relay processing to a command transmitted and received according to a control protocol between first and second terminals belonging to the first and second networks, respectively, and of setting a parameter used for a transport protocol according to which data is transferred between the first and second terminals, according to a parameter in the command; and

a transport-protocol relay step of applying relay processing to data transfer performed according to the transport protocol between the first and second terminals, according to the parameter specified in the control-protocol relay step, and

characterized in that, in the control-protocol relay step, a parameter related to the transport protocol and disposed in the command sent according to the control protocol is changed, and the changed command sent according to the control protocol is output.