User-specific interaction with content sotred on upnp network

• US 20060179138A1
• Filed: 06/21/2004
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Van Gassel, Josef Pieter, Van Den Brink, Hendrikus Bernardus
• Application Number:
  US10/561,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20060179138A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

On a UPnP AV network, different users are identified based on respective IP addresses in the SOAP requests for interaction with AV content stored on the network'"'"'s MediaServers. Under control of the identity thus determined, the relevant MediaServer generates personalized views of the available content, possibly re-organizing content items in the inventory overview or blocking items from being viewed by specific users on the network.

Claims

1. A method of enabling multiple users of a UPnP network to access an inventory of content information items stored at a MediaServer on the network, the method comprising:

enabling to identify each respective one of the multiple users by means of a respective one of different addresses contained in a respective request for access to the MediaServer; and

enabling to provide respective modes of access to the inventory that are different for the respective addresses.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective modes of access differ from one another with regard to rights to access at least a specific one of the content information items in the inventory.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective modes of access differ from one another with regard to user interaction allowed with at least a specific one of the content information items in the inventory.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective modes of access differ from one another with regard to a representation of the inventory.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective addresses comprise respective IP addresses or respective MAC addresses of respective Control Points on the network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the respective addresses are comprised in respective SOAP requests to the MediaServer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a Control Point that enables the multiple users to interact with the network, the method comprising enabling the Control Point to use different addresses for respective ones of the multiple users.

8. For use on a UPnP network with a MediaServer for storing an inventory of content information items, software for control of user access to the inventory, wherein the software provides different modes of access that are different for respective users as identified by respective addresses in respective requests for access to the inventory.

9. The software of claim 8, wherein the respective modes of access differ from one another with regard to rights to access at least a specific one of the content information items in the inventory.

10. The software of claim 8, wherein the respective modes of access differ from one another with regard to user interaction allowed with at least a specific one of the content information items in the inventory.

11. The software of claim 8, wherein the respective modes of access differ from one another with regard to a representation of the inventory.

12. The software of claim 8, wherein the modes of access are programmable.