Structure of objects stored in a media server and improving accessibility to the structure

• US 20060149761A1
• Filed: 12/08/2005
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Chang Hyun, Min, Ku Bong
• Application Number:
  US11/298,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20060149761A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures

Abstract

The present invention relates to providing media data in an open network system, wherein an object structure of a media server operationally connected to a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) network is provided. The media server comprises a service for managing objects, and a storage unit for storing at least one object structure, the at least one object structure comprising at least one of a container and an item under a tree structure, wherein the at least one object structure comprises at least one object specified as a feature of the service. Preferably, the at least one object structure comprises at least one of a bookmark container and a shortcut container managed as a service feature.

Claims

1. An apparatus operationally connected to an open network system for providing media data, the apparatus comprising:

a service for managing objects; and

a storage unit for storing at least one object structure, the at least one object structure comprising at least one of a container and an item under a tree structure;

wherein the at least one object structure comprises at least one object specified as a feature of the service.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one object specified as a feature of the service is a bookmark container.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a plurality of bookmark containers are interconnected to each other under the tree structure.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein an identifier of a bookmark item in a root container of the tree structure is written in a state variable.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein an identifier of a bookmark item, which is not in a root container of the tree structure, is not written in a state variable.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one object specified as a feature of the service is an element of an object structure different from an object structure comprising files containing media data.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one object specified as a feature of the service is an element of a sub-object structure, wherein the sub-object structure is an element of a container of an object structure comprising files containing media data.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one object specified as a feature of the service is a shortcut container.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the service is a content directory service defined in a Universal Plug and Play protocol.

10. A method for providing media data in an open network system, the method comprising:

providing a service for managing objects;

providing a storage unit for storing at least one object structure in a storage unit, the at least one object structure comprising at least one of a container and an item under a tree structure;

recording at least one object specified as a feature of the service in the storage unit; and

writing information related to the at least one object specified as a feature of the service.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least object specified as a feature of the service is a bookmark container.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the writing step comprises writing in a state variable an identifier for at least one bookmark item contained in the recorded at least one object specified as a feature of the service.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the writing step comprises writing in the state variable information related to a service name and a service version.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one object specified as a feature of the service is recorded under an object structure different from an object structure comprising files containing media data.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one object specified as a feature of the service is recorded in a sub-object structure, wherein the sub-object structure is an element of a container of an object structure comprising files containing media data.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one object specified as a feature of the service is a shortcut container.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the information related to the recorded at least one object specified as a feature of the service is written in the storage unit.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the information related to the recorded at least one object specified as a feature of the service is written in a memory unit other than the storage unit.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the service is a content directory service defined in a Universal Plug &

Play protocol.