Wireless communications to receiver devices using control terminal communication link set-up

• US 20060224701A1
• Filed: 03/30/2005
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Camp, William O. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,782,177 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections

Abstract

Methods of delivering electronic content include exchanging communications with a network access point from a control terminal to establish a communication link configured for two-way communications. Electronic content transmitted by the network access point is received at a remote terminal over the established communication link without providing responsive communications to the network access point from the remote terminal.

Claims

1. A method of delivering electronic content, the method comprising:

exchanging communications with a network access point from a control terminal to establish a communication link configured for two-way communications; and

receiving electronic content transmitted by the network access point at a remote terminal over the established communication link without providing responsive communications to the network access point from the remote terminal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the network access point comprises a wireless local network access point.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing configuration information from the control terminal to the remote terminal to configure the remote terminal to receive the electronic content transmitted by the network access point.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein providing configuration information comprises providing a media access control (MAC) address and/or internet protocol (IP) address associated with the electronic content to the remote terminal from the control terminal.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising providing the MAC address and/or IP address from the control terminal to the network access point to be associated with the electronic content.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein providing configuration information further comprises providing a sub-address associated with the electronic content that will be embedded in the electronic content to the remote terminal from the control terminal.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein receiving electronic content comprises the following performed by the remote terminal:

receiving communications having data and a header including a MAC and/or IP address over the establish communication link;

determining if the received MAC and/or IP address corresponds to the MAC address associated with the electronic content;

determining if the data includes the sub-address associated with the electronic content if the received MAC and/or IP address corresponds to the MAC address associated with the electronic content; and

providing the received communications to a content user communicatively coupled to the remote terminal if the data includes the sub-address associated with the electronic content and if the received MAC and/or IP address corresponds to the MAC address associated with the electronic content.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the remote terminal includes a MAC layer having a reduced functionality relative to a standard MAC layer associated with establishing the communication link.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the remote terminal is configured to receive communications from the control terminal having a non-standard communication protocol not provided by a standard used for the established communication link and wherein providing control information from the control terminal comprises providing the control information using the non-standard communication protocol.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein providing control information using the non-standard communication protocol comprises transmitting the MAC address and/or IP address preceded by a predefined data pattern not appearing in the electronic content.

11. The method of claim 3 wherein providing configuration information comprises transmitting the configuration information from the control terminal to the network access point using the established communication link.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein transmitting the configuration information comprises including the configuration information in data transmitted from the control terminal to the network access point.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein transmitting the configuration information further comprises preceding the configuration information in the data transmitted from the control terminal by a predefined data pattern recognizable by the remote terminal.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing responsive communications from the control terminal to the network access point to maintain the established communication link.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing an identification of a desired electronic content for transmission over the established link to the network access point from the control terminal.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving control information from a user at the control terminal, the control information being used to establish the communication link.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the electronic content at the control terminal; and

providing the received content from the control terminal to a user from the control terminal.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the remote terminal comprises a plurality of remote terminals.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein providing configuration information comprises:

providing a common media access control (MAC) address and/or internet protocol (IP) address associated with the electronic content to the plurality of remote terminals from the control terminal; and

providing a sub-address associated with the electronic content that will be embedded in the electronic content to the plurality of remote terminals from the control terminal, wherein at least one of the remote terminals is provided a sub-address different from another of the remote terminals to provide different electronic content to ones of the remote terminals.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the remote terminal comprises a two-way communication device including a receiver and a transmitter and wherein the method further comprises establishing a two-way communication link between the remote terminal and at least one of the control terminal and/or the network access point and utilizing the established two-way communication link from the remote terminal to provide a designation of desired electronic content.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the remote terminal comprises a two-way communication device including a receiver and a transmitter and wherein the method further comprises establishing a two-way communication link from the remote terminal to a content server through the network access point without use of the control terminal.

22. The method of claim 2 wherein the wireless local network access point comprises a WiFi standard server.

23. A method of delivering electronic content, the method comprising:

exchanging communications with a wireless local network access point from a control terminal to establish a communication link configured for two-way communications; and

providing configuration information from the control terminal to a remote terminal to configure the remote terminal to receive electronic content transmitted by the network access point over the established communication link without providing responsive communications to the network access point from the remote terminal.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein providing configuration information comprises providing a media access control (MAC) address and/or internet protocol (IP) address associated with the electronic content to the remote terminal from the control terminal.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein providing configuration information further comprises providing a sub-address associated with the electronic content that will be embedded in the electronic content to the remote terminal from the control terminal.

26. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

providing responsive communications from the control terminal to the network access point to maintain the established communication link.

27. An apparatus for delivering electronic content, the apparatus comprising:

means for exchanging communications with a wireless local network access point from a control terminal to establish a communication link configured for two-way communications; and

means for providing configuration information from the control terminal to a remote terminal to configure the remote terminal to receive electronic content transmitted by the network access point over the established communication link without providing responsive communications to the network access point from the remote terminal.

28. An apparatus for delivering electronic content, the apparatus comprising:

means for exchanging communications with a network access point from a control terminal to establish a communication link configured for two-way communications; and

means for receiving electronic content transmitted by the network access point at a remote terminal over the established communication link without providing responsive communications to the network access point from the remote terminal.

29. A computer program product for delivering electronic content, the computer program product comprising computer program code embodied in a computer readable medium, the computer program code comprising:

program code configured to exchange communications with a wireless local network access point from a control terminal to establish a communication link configured for two-way communications; and

program code configured to provide configuration information from the control terminal to a remote terminal to configure the remote terminal to receive electronic content transmitted by the network access point over the established communication link without providing responsive communications to the network access point from the remote terminal.

30. A computer program product for delivering electronic content, the computer program product comprising computer program code embodied in a computer readable medium, the computer program code comprising:

program code configured to exchange communications with a wireless local network access point from a control terminal to establish a communication link configured for two-way communications; and

program code configured to receive electronic content transmitted by the network access point at a remote terminal over the established communication link without providing responsive communications to the network access point from the remote terminal.