PID filters based network routing

• US 20040165586A1
• Filed: 02/24/2003
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Read, Christopher Jensen, Hardacker, Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US10/373,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20040165586A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7163 using impulse radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A television Set-top box based content server consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention has a receiver that receives a transport stream containing data representing content in packets, wherein the packets are identified by packet identifiers (PIDs). A PID filter selects packets having a specified PID. A mapper maps packets having the specified PID to an Internet Protocol (IP) address. The mapper uses the PID as an index to a translation table and retrieves the IP address from the translation table. A packet converter converts the packets identified by the specified PID to an IP packet having the IP address. A router, such as a wireless ultra-wideband router, routes the IP packet to a recipient according to the IP address.

Claims

1. A method of processing data packets, comprising:

receiving a transport stream containing a packet of data identified by a program identifier (PID);

mapping the PID to an Internet Protocol (IP) address; and

converting the packet to an IP packet containing the data and having the IP address.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising routing the IP packet to a networked device having the IP address.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the routing is carried out in a wireless router.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the wireless router transports data using an ultra-wideband channel.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mapping comprises using the PID as an index to a translation table and retrieving the IP address from the translation table.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising retrieving the packet of data identified by the PID from the transport stream by PID filtering the transport stream.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transport stream comprises one of a cable television transport stream, a terrestrial broadcast transport stream and a satellite television transport stream.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the packet contains at least one of video and audio content.

9. The method according to claim 1, carried out in a television Set-top box.

10. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on a programmed processor, carry out a method of processing data packets according to claim 1.

11. A content server, comprising:

a receiver that receives a transport stream containing data representing content in packets, wherein the packets are identified by packet identifiers (PIDs);

a PID filter that selects packets having a specified PID;

a mapper that maps packets having the specified PID to an Internet Protocol (IP) address; and

a packet converter that converts the packets identified by the specified PID to an IP packet having the IP address.

12. The content server according to claim 11, further comprising a router that routs the IP packet to a recipient according to the IP address.

13. The content server according to claim 11, wherein the router comprises a wireless router.

14. The content server according to claim 13, wherein the wireless router transports data using an ultra-wideband channel.

15. The content server according to claim 13, wherein the router comprises an ethernet router.

16. The content server according to claim 11, wherein the mapper uses the PID as an index to a translation table and retrieves the IP address from the translation table.

17. The content server according to claim 11, wherein the transport stream comprises one of a cable television transport stream and a satellite television transport stream.

18. The content server according to claim 11, wherein the packet contains at least one of video and audio content.

19. The content server according to claim 11, embodied in a television Set-top box.

20. A television Set-top box based content server, comprising:

a receiver that receives a transport stream containing data representing content in packets, wherein the packets are identified by packet identifiers (PIDs);

a PID filter that selects packets having a specified PID, wherein the packet contains at least one of video and audio content;

a mapper that maps packets having the specified PID to an Internet Protocol (IP) address, wherein the mapper uses the PID as an index to a translation table and retrieves the IP address from the translation table;

a packet converter that converts the packets identified by the specified PID to an IP packet having the IP address; and

a router that routes the IP packet to a recipient according to the IP address.

21. The content server according to claim 20, wherein the transport stream comprises one of a cable television transport stream and a satellite television transport stream.

22. The content server according to claim 20, wherein the router comprises a wireless router.

23. The content server according to claim 20, wherein the router comprises an ethernet router.

24. The content server according to claim 20, wherein the wireless router transports data using an ultra-wideband channel.